Sociocultural models of body dissatisfaction implicate mass media exposure as contributing to body dissatisfaction through thin-ideal internalization and social comparison. Compared with other media types, social media are newer, more rapidly evolving, and less thoroughly researched. Existing research, which has focused on teen and young adult samples, suggests that social media also negatively influence body dissatisfaction. The current study used focus groups to explore the nature and impact of social media use on body dissatisfaction in an early adolescent female sample. Girls in this sample displayed high levels of media literacy and confidence, characteristics they felt were nurtured by positive parental influences and a supportive school environment. The results of this study support the recommendation of body image experts that an ecological approach is optimal for the prevention of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. Though peer influence gains strength through adolescence, these results demonstrate that parents and schools continue to have important effects on girls’ attitudes and behaviors regarding social media and body image.

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Research has identified a relation between exposure to thin-ideal magazine and television media images and eating disorder pathology. However, few studies have examined the potential influence of Internet media on eating disorder behaviors and attitudes. This study investigated the associations among appearance-orientated media exposure, body dissatisfaction, eating pathology and thin-ideal internalization in a sample of 421 female undergraduate students. Results indicate that undergraduate women spend significantly more time viewing appearance-oriented sources online, rather than reading appearance-orientated magazines. Appearance-oriented Internet consumption was also more strongly associated with eating disorder pathology than was use of other media (television and magazines). Relations between appearance-orientated media use (all types) and body dissatisfaction was mediated by thin-ideal internalization. These findings are consistent with those of previous research, and highlight the vulnerability individuals high in thin-ideal internalization might have following media exposure. They also suggest that Internet media might be an important topic to include in eating disorders prevention and treatment.

Eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa, have profound negative effects on the quality of life of both affected individuals and their families. Behavioral approaches such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are commonly used for the treatment of these disorders. CBT teaches skills to restructure maladaptive thought patterns as a method of altering feelings and behaviors. However, even after CBT, 50-70% of women with bulimia and 67-87% of women with anorexia report continued eating disordered thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Measuring underlying cognitive processes such as orienting, maintaining, and executive attention in individuals with eating disorder symptomatology might be an important first step in improving these existing therapies. Attentional biases can be identified using a variety of techniques, including eye movement in response to stimuli (gaze patterns; focal points) as assessed by sophisticated eye tracking tasks. The current project sought to evaluate eye movement behavior related to body dissatisfaction, and to assess the feasibility of modifying attention. Participants (N = 1017) completed survey measures assessing disordered eating and body image (n = 1011), and participants meeting eligibility requirements participated in the in-person eye-tracking assessment (n = 85). Overall, longer gaze duration was associated with more dissatisfying body regions, and the attention modification intervention decreased time spent looking at the most dissatisfying region. Gaze time on the most dissatisfying body region was not different for self images compared with other images, nor was there an influence of level of shape concern. Body image anxiety also reduced after the attention modification intervention. These results suggest that it is feasible to modify attention biases related to body dissatisfaction. Implications and future extensions of this study are discussed.

Etude 1 : L’objectif de cette étude était d’étendre la littérature existante en testant un modèle tripartite à deux voies du développement de l’image du corps masculin et des préoccupations alimentaires chez des jeunes hommes français. Le modèle final présentait un bon ajustement aux données et comprenait des voies distinctes de préoccupations musculaires et de préoccupations liées à la masse graisseuse.Etude 2 : L’objectif de cette étude était d’explorer différents profils de recherche de musculature et de minceur chez des jeunes femmes françaises. Le groupe de jeunes femmes avec « recherche de musculature et de minceur » présentait des scores significativement plus élevés pour la pression des amis et du partenaire, l’intérêt pour les médias, l’internalisation de l’idéal mince et tonique, la comparaison de l’apparence, les symptômes boulimiques et un fonctionnement psychologique moins bon.Etude 3 : Le but de cette troisième étude était d’explorer un modèle socioculturel longitudinal de l’influence des médias, des pairs et du partenaire amoureux sur l’insatisfaction corporelle, la recherche de minceur, et la recherche de musculature dans un échantillon de jeunes femmes françaises. Le modèle final présentait un bon ajustement aux données et a montré que les pressions médiatiques et interpersonnelles étaient associées, par le biais de la comparaison de l’apparence, à une augmentation de l’insatisfaction corporelle, de la recherche de minceur et de musculature un an plus tard. / Study 1: The aim of the present study was to extend the extant literature by testing a modified Tripartite dual pathway model of the development of male body image and eating concerns among French young men. The revised and final model was an adequate fit to the data and included separate pathways for muscularity- and leanness-related concerns.Study 2: The aim of this study was to explore different patterns of drive for muscularity and thinness among French young women. The group of young women with “drive for muscularity and thinness” displayed the highest means of friend and partner pressures, interest in the media, thin-and-toned ideal internalization, appearance comparison, bulimic symptoms and the poorest psychological functioning.Study 3: The aim of the current study was to explore a prospective sociocultural model of the influence of media, peer, and partner pressures on body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, and drive for muscularity in a sample of French young women. The final model presented a good fit to the data, and highlighted that media and interpersonal pressures were associated over time with increased body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness and drive for muscularity one year later, via appearance comparison.

Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Sylvania Ann Jones has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Anthony Perry, Committee Chairperson, Psychology Faculty Dr. Stephen Burgess, Committee Member, Psychology Faculty Dr. James Carroll, University Reviewer, Psychology Faculty Chief Academic Officer Eric Riedel, Ph.D. Walden University 2017 Factors Related to Muscle Dysmorphia Symptomology in Adolescent Males by Sylvania Ann Jones BS, Wayland Baptist University 1999 MA, Wayland Baptist University 2009 MA, Webster University 2006 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Psychology Walden University December 2016 The prevalence of muscle dysmorphia symptomology in adolescent males continues to increase, and yet remains under diagnosed in adolescents, supporting the need for a study to increase the understanding of the factors related to muscle dysmorphia symptomology. The purpose of this quantitative survey research study was to determine variables that predict the muscle dysmorphia symptomology in a nonclinical sample of high school adolescent males. The psycho-behavioral model of muscle dysmorphia was used as the conceptual model to explain the psychological factors such as self-esteem and body dissatisfaction and behavioral factors such as bodybuilding dependence that were hypothesized to be related to muscle dysmorphia. Quantitative surveys included the Body Dysmorphic Examination Self Report, Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Body Building Dependence Scale and a researcher-developed demographic survey. The study participants included a sample of 97 high school males. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relative strength of the variables in predicting muscle dysmorphia. The results showed that there were several significant predictors of muscle dysmorphia symptomology including race/ethnicity, level of body dissatisfaction, and body building dependence. Sexual orientation and self-esteem were not significant predictors of muscle symptomology. The current study filled the gap in the literature regarding factors that predict muscle dysmorphia among adolescent males. This information supports the development of professional practice and psychoeducational programs designed to assist adolescent males with muscle dysmorphia. This study benefits this cohort by presenting awareness of muscle dysmorphia.

This doctoral thesis examines the office environment’s influence on employees’ perception oftheir workplaces, their organizations and their job satisfaction, as well as their health and wellbeing.It is based on an empirical study of 491 office employees from twenty-six companies anddivisions in large companies. Seven office types, defined by their architectural and functionalfeatures, are represented in the study group: cell-office, shared-room office, small open planoffice, medium-sized open plan office, large open plan office, flex-office and combi-office. Theresearch has its basis in architecture, although an interdisciplinary approach using organizationaland management theory, environmental psychology, and social and stress medicine has beenemployed. Qualitative (Articles I &amp; V) and quantitative methods(Articles II &amp; IV) were used.The thesis also contains an explorative, review article. Thus it comprises all in all five articles.Article I is an analysis of the importance of architectural quality for employees´ perceptionand experience of the office using Lynch’s method (1960) developed to measure inhabitants’perception of architectural quality in cities. The study shows that in the office the experienceto a high degree is independent of both the scale of the office and office type; instead it isdetermined by the quality of the plan layout combined with the quality of other design features.It also shows Lynch’s method to be useful in foreseeing where the elements that reinforce‘imageability’ will most likely appear in an office environment.Article II investigates employees’ environmental satisfaction focusing on:1) ambient factors; 2) noise and privacy; and 3) design-related factors. The results, based onregression models with age, gender, job rank and line of business as additional covariates,show office type as a factor with a statistically significant impact on satisfaction with the officeenvironment. Employees in cell-offices are prominently most satisfied, followed by those inflex-offices, cell-offices rate low only on social aspects of design-related factors. A major findingis the internal differences between office types where employees share workspace and facilitieswith lowest satisfaction in medium-sized and large open plan offices.Article III is a review article that analyzes the employees’ office experiences in two ways:1) by framing the physical work environment’s influence on employees into the model oforganizational theorist Davis (1994); and 2) by categorizing the office experience into twogroups based on the nature of the experience and problems related to them. The results of theemperical study presented in Article II are the basis for the discussion in this article.Article IV examines employees’ health, well-being and job satisfaction. A multivariateanalysis applied to the study sample and equivalent to that of Article II shows significantly higherrisks for ill health and poor well-being in medium-sized and small open plan offices, comparedespecially with cell-office. In medium-sized open plan and combi-offices the employees evincethe lowest job satisfaction. The best chance for good health status and job satisfaction is in cellofficesand flex-offices.Article V examines the office architecture´s importance for employees’ perception of theirown workplaces and organizations based on the two key components of architecture—theaesthetical and functional dimensions. The results show that overall the employees had positiveexperiences of their office environments. These mainly concerned the aesthetical dimension,whereas the negative comments dealt with the functional dimension. The aesthetical dimensionappears not only to set the agenda for employees’ perception of the workplace and organizationas a whole, but also for the perception of the functional dimensions. The functional dimensionswere only in focus when the workstation and its proximate area were discussed. / <p>QC 20100908</p>

This study explores the association between media exposure and women’s body perceptions in Egypt. The thin ideal perpetuated through the media, eating disorders and body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness were thought to be a culturally linked phenomena confined to Western societies. This study has contributed to the debate on cultural determinism of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction in women as it has shown that these concepts are on the rise in non-Western societies in general and Egypt in specific. When exposed to media messages, women in Egypt demonstrated eating disordered attitudes, body dissatisfaction feelings and also chose other compensatory behaviors such as veiling, fasting, and following diet.

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ABSTRACT Numerous studies have examined the development of body image among people, especially girls and young women. Many factors have been associated with the development of body image dissatisfaction. Especially important are exposure to mass media and its relationship with three theoretical constructs: Awareness of a thin ideal, internalization of a thin ideal, and perceived pressures to be thin. Extending existing research, this study examined through experimentation the relationships among exposure to American media content and the awareness and internalization of the American norms and expectations for thinness, pressures to adopt these norms, and Trinidadian female adolescents' body image satisfaction. Based on previous findings, this study hypothesized that the three risk factors in the development of body image disturbance (awareness, internalization and pressures) would mediate the relationship between American media exposure and body image satisfaction among Trinidadian female adolescents. The results indicated that American media exposure and all three risk factors had statistically significant relationships with Trinidadian female adolescents' body image satisfaction. The more hours Trinidadian female adolescents spent watching American sitcoms, the less satisfied they are with their body image. An increase in American media exposure also resulted in the increase in the adolescents' awareness and internalization of the American norms and expectations for thinness, as well as the pressures to adopt those norms and expectations. Results also revealed that the three risk factors in the development of body image disturbance (awareness, internalization and pressures) were negatively correlated with body image satisfaction among Trinidadian female adolescents. Taken as a whole, the study supported the sociocultural model for the development of body image dissatisfaction.