The present study examined the relationships among body image, psychological health, and happiness in adult women. One hundred and ninety-six women, with an average age of 40 years were surveyed. Within the sample three age groups were established; college age women, middle age women, and elderly women. Each participant completed the Body Esteem Scale (Franzoi & Shields, 1984), the Eating Attitudes Test (Garner & Garfinkel, 1979), the Life Satisfaction Index A (Neugarten, Havigburst, & Tobin, 1961), the Global Motivation Scale (Guay, Blais, Vallerand, & Pelletier, 1999), the Self-Rating Depression Scale (Zung, 1964), and the Life Orientation Test (Scheier & Carver, 1985). The results of Pearson correlations and analysis of variance support the hypothesized relationship between body image and happiness. Results indicate that happiness significantly and positively correlated with the three components of body esteem; sexual attractiveness, weight concern, and physical condition. Contrary to one of the hypotheses of the present study, there were no significant differences between the types of body satisfaction expressed by women of different ages. However, support was found for correlations between body satisfaction and depression, optimism, unhealthy eating attitudes, and motivation for life. The results are discussed in terms of the importance of recognizing body image as a major contributor to overall life happiness.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:honorstheses1990-2015-1198 |
| Date | 01 January 2000 |
| Creators | Stokes, Rachel R. |
| Publisher | STARS |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | HIM 1990-2015 |
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