scholarly journals Body appreciation: A buffer against the impact of shame on depression

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S533-S533 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Marta-Simões ◽  
C. Ferreira ◽  
A.L. Mendes

Shame is defined as a painful affect, associated with the perception that one's personal characteristics and/or behaviours are seen by others as unattractive. Since it signals the possibility of rejection, high levels of shame associate with high psychological suffering and several psychopathological conditions, namely depression. In contrast, body appreciation is considered a set of attitudes of acceptance and affection towards one's body image, even when one is displeased with certain body characteristics, being therefore a disposition to self-soothing and care. Taking into account the association of body appreciation with healthy mental functioning, this study aimed at exploring the buffering effect of body appreciation against shame's impact on the display of depression symptoms. This hypothesis was tested through path analysis in a community sample of adult men and women. Results revealed body appreciation as a significant moderator of the association between external shame and depressive symptomatology. The tested model explained 45% of the variance of depressive symptomatology. A graphical representation allowed understanding that this moderator effect is particularly expressive in those who experience medium to high levels of shame. In these cases, men and women who present higher body appreciation tend to display fewer depression symptoms. These results seem to emphasize the importance of establishing a positive relationship with one's own body image, which appears to be protective either for men's and women's mental health. Considering its buffering effect of shame's impact on depression, upcoming interventions in this area could benefit from the assessment and cultivation of positive body image.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S527-S527
Author(s):  
C. Ferreira ◽  
J. Marta-Simões ◽  
I.A. Trindade ◽  
A.L. Mendes

Committed action is defined as the ability to take action guided by personal life values, i.e., to be persistent in valued behaviours even when such pursuit implicates facing setbacks and experiencing discomfort. This is a key process for acceptance and commitment therapy, and is linked to several positive mental health outcomes. Although current literature has stressed the pervasive impact of shame on psychopathology, especially on depression, data concerning the role of committed action on the impact of shame on depression is considered insufficient. Considering these premises, the current study intended to explore the moderator role of committed action in the relationship between external shame and depressive symptomatology, in an adult sample of 178 participants of both sexes. Path analysis’ results showed that shame holds a positive effect on depression (β = 1.19, P < .001), and that committed action serves as a moderator of the effect of shame on depression (β = –.63, P < .010). The tested model accounted for 45% of the variance of depression symptoms. A graphical representation allowed to observe that committed action presents a buffer effect for the harmful impact of shame on symptoms of depression. That is, at any level of shame experienced, those individuals who revealed higher levels of committed action showed less depression symptoms. This study has corroborated the powerful effect of external shame on depression symptoms, which was found to be buffered by committed action. The present findings thus highlight the pertinence of identifying personal life values and motivating committed action, particularly in prevention and intervention programs for depression.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


Author(s):  
April Karlinsky ◽  
Holly Howe ◽  
Melissa de Jonge ◽  
Alan Kingstone ◽  
Catherine M. Sabiston ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study was to explore body image correlates of voluntary consumption of physique-salient media. A secondary aim was to assess changes in affect following media consumption. Young adult men (n = 47; mean age = 20.2 years) and women (n = 87; mean age = 19.5 years) were discretely exposed to images of same-sex models with idealized- and average-physiques while completing an irrelevant computer task. Voluntary gaze at the images was covertly recorded via hidden cameras. Participants also completed measures of affect before and after the computer task. Measures of body-related envy, body appreciation, and self-perceptions of attractiveness, thinness, and physical strength were completed. Men and women did not differ in how often nor for how long they looked at the images overall, but body image variables were differentially associated with their voluntary gaze behaviors. For men, higher body-related envy and lower body appreciation were correlated with more looks at the average-physique model. Although women reported higher body-related envy than men, envy and body appreciation were not significant correlates of gaze behaviors for women. Both men and women experienced a general affective decrease over time, but only for men was the change in negative affect associated with their time spent looking at the ideal-physique image. Overall, these findings suggest that body-related envy and body appreciation influence how men choose to consume physique-salient media, and that media consumption may have negative consequences for post-exposure affect. Body image factors appear to be more strongly associated with behavior in men, perhaps because men are generally less often exposed to physique-salient media and, in particular, to average-physique images.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S549-S549
Author(s):  
C. Duarte ◽  
J. Pinto-Gouveia

IntroductionGrowing research show that body image-related shame plays a particularly important role in the vulnerability to and persistence of Binge eating symptoms. Also, shame experiences from childhood and adolescence were found to function as traumatic memories and are significantly associated with eating psychopathology. Nonetheless, little is known about the effect of shame traumatic memories in Binge Eating Disorder (BED), and whether early positive emotional memories of warmth and safeness may buffer against the impact of shame memories on body image shame.AimsThis study examined the moderator effect of positive emotional memories on the association between shame traumatic memories and current body image shame in women diagnosed with BED.MethodsParticipants (N = 109) were assessed through the eating disorder examination and the shame experiences interview, and answered to self-report measures assessing the traumatic features of a key shame memory, positive emotional memories s and body image shame.ResultsBody image-related experiences were most frequently recalled as significant shame memories. Positive emotional memories were negatively associated with shame traumatic memories and body image shame, and had a significant moderator effect on the association between shame traumatic memories and current body image shame.ConclusionsThis study was the first to demonstrate that early shame experiences may contribute for BED patients’ shame based on their body image. Data suggest that the access to memories of early feelings of affiliation and safeness may be key to tone down negative affect. These findings have important implications for the conceptualization and treatment of BED.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


Author(s):  
Milagros Ocalin Sánchez Hernández ◽  
Miguel A. Carrasco ◽  
Francisco Pablo Holgado-Tello

AbstractThe combination of depression and anxiety is among the most prevalent comorbidities of disorders leading to substantial functional impairment in children and adolescents. The network perspective offers a new paradigm for understanding and measuring psychological constructs and their comorbidity. The present study aims to apply network analysis to explore the comorbidity between depression and anxiety symptoms. Specifically, the study examines bridge symptoms, comorbidity, and shortest pathway networks and estimates the impact of the symptoms in the network’s connectivity and structure. The findings show that “feeling lonely” and “feeling unloved” are identified as the most central bridge symptoms. The shortest path network suggests that the role of a mixed anxiety-depressive symptomatology, and specific and non-specific symptoms of clinical criteria, such as “worries,” “feels depressed,” “fears school,” and “talks about suicide” could serve as a warning for comorbidity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Bonilla-Sierra ◽  
Alexis Manrique-G ◽  
Paula Hidalgo-Andrade ◽  
Pablo Ruisoto

Background: The current mental health state of healthcare professionals and students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador remains understudied and how to improve their mental health is a challenge.Objective: This study aimed to explore the anxiety and depressive symptomatology among healthcare students and professionals in Ecuador and to examine the role of psychological inflexibility, loneliness, and psychological stress as predictors of anxiety and depression symptoms.Methods: A total of 191 undergraduate and graduate healthcare students in clinical practice (early-career healthcare professionals) in Ecuador were surveyed between January and March 2021 using standardized measures of psychological stress (PSS), psychological inflexibility (AAQ), loneliness (UCLA), alcohol consumption (AUDIT-C), and anxiety and depressive symptomatology (PHQ). Macro Process for SPSS (models 4 and 7) were used to test mediation effects.Results: Alcohol consumption varied between men and women and anxiety and depression symptomatology was generally low among the sample. Psychological inflexibility and loneliness mediated the impact of stress on anxiety and depressive mood in participants, regardless of gender and previous personal history of COVID-19.Discussion: Implications of psychological inflexibility and the prevention and coping with stress in healthcare professionals during COVID-19 are further discussed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cláudia Ferreira ◽  
Sara Oliveira ◽  
Ana Laura Mendes

AbstractRecent literature has emphasized the role played by early emotional experiences on body image and eating-related psychopathology. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying the link between positive rearing experiences and eating psychopathology remain scarcely explored. Thus, this study aimed to explore a model in which it was hypothesized that early emotional experiences, characterized by warmth, safeness, and soothing, are negatively associated with disordered eating through higher levels of self-compassion and a more positive and caring relationship with one’s own body. The study’s sample comprised 490 women who completed an Internet based survey comprising self-report measures of interest. Path analysis’ results revealed that self-compassion and body appreciation fully mediated the impact of early positive emotional memories on eating psychopathology, when controlling the effect of age and Body Mass Index. The plausibility of the path model was examined by the Chi-Square and the several fit indicators which revealed a very good fit, accounting for 49% of eating psychopathology’s variance. Specifically, results demonstrated that 13% of self-compassion’s variance was explained by positive early emotional memories. Also, early positive memories showed both direct and indirect (via self-compassion) positive effects on body appreciation, accounting for 34% of its variance. Additionally, results revealed that positive early emotional experiences predicted lower levels of disordered eating, via higher levels of self-compassion and body appreciation. By emphasizing the importance role of self-compassion and body appreciation against body image and eating psychopathology, the current study may offer important insights for future research and for the development of intervention programs.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofia Ramalho ◽  
Ana Trovisqueira ◽  
Marta de Lourdes ◽  
Sónia Gonçalves ◽  
Sílvia Félix ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: This study aims to explore associations between disordered eating behaviors in adults during the COVID-19 lockdown period, and the experienced psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, depressive symptomatology, anxiety/stress levels.Methods: This was a community-based cross-sectional study assessing 254 Portuguese adults (82.7% women; 35.82 ±11.82 years) one week after the end of the mandatory COVID-19 lockdown in Portugal. An online survey was conducted to evaluate psychological distress, disordered eating, and psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Pearson correlations and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were performed.Results: Participants reported the presence of meal skipping (52.8%), grazing eating behavior (80.9%), overeating (81.0%), loss of control over eating (47.2%), and binge eating episodes (39.2%) during lockdown. Uncontrolled and emotional eating were significantly correlated with the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 pandemic, depression, anxiety, and stress levels. SEM analyses indicated that the relationship between experienced psychosocial impact of COVID-19 pandemic on disordered eating behaviors was mediated through psychological distress experienced (CMIN/DF= 1.499, CFI = .99, RMSEA = .045).Conclusions: The psychosocial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis may lead to disordered eating, and this relation may occur through the elevation of psychological distress. These findings inform about clinical targets for preventive interventions to promote disordered eating in a community sample during potential similar future situations.


Author(s):  
Natascha-Alexandra Weinberger ◽  
Claudia Luck-Sikorski

Abstract Purpose Body image has been identified as an important factor in mental health in individuals with obesity. Previous studies have focused on negative body image and research of positive body image—particularly in obesity—is still in its infancy. The current study explored the positive body image facet body appreciation and the negative facet appearance evaluation in different BMI groups as well as men and women. Methods A total of 1003 participants of the general German public above the age of 18 years completed measures on body appreciation and appearance evaluation. Results Significantly lower body appreciation was observed in male participants with obesity compared to normal-weight participants. In women, the BMI groups did not differ significantly in body appreciation. BMI was negatively associated with appearance evaluation in both genders. While men and women did not differ in body appreciation, men reported lower appearance evaluation scores compared to women. Conclusion The present study is one of few that investigated positive body image in individuals with obesity compared to individuals with normal weight. The findings underscore the potential of body appreciation as a resource in treatment of body image concerns in individuals with obesity. Further implications for future research are discussed. Level of evidence III, case–control analytic study.


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