An Exploratory Assessment of Sociocultural Attitudes and Appearance Comparison Among Athletes With Physical Disabilities

This study aimed to assess the internalization of sociocultural attitudes and appearance comparison among U.S. athletes with physical disabilities. Female (n = 19) and male (n = 25) athletes between the ages of 18 and 73 years completed a quantitative survey along with two exploratory open-ended questions related to body appearance and influencers. Results showed significant correlations between internalization of the thin and low-body-fat ideal and appearance comparison (r = .55, p < .05) and internalization of the muscular ideal and appearance comparison (r = .76, p < .05) among women. For men, results showed a significant association between internalization of the muscular ideal and appearance comparison (r = .52, p < .05). The findings prompt further investigation of whether appearance comparison and internalization influence body dissatisfaction and disordered eating among athletes with physical disabilities.

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Celebrity influence on body image and eating disorders: A review

Journal of Health Psychology ◽

10.1177/1359105320988312 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 135910532098831

Author(s):

Zoe Brown ◽

Marika Tiggemann

Keyword(s):

Eating Disorders ◽

Body Image ◽

Big Data ◽

Body Dissatisfaction ◽

Disordered Eating ◽

Research Articles ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

Media Attention ◽

Research Findings ◽

Appearance Comparison

Celebrities are well-known individuals who receive extensive public and media attention. There is an increasing body of research on the effect of celebrities on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. Yet, there has been no synthesis of the research findings. A systematic search for research articles on celebrities and body image or eating disorders resulted in 36 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Overall, the qualitative, correlational, big data, and experimental methodologies used in these studies demonstrated that exposure to celebrity images, appearance comparison, and celebrity worship are associated with maladaptive consequences for individuals’ body image.

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Disordered eating attitudes correlate with body dissatisfaction among Kuwaiti male college students

Journal of Eating Disorders ◽

10.1186/s40337-019-0265-z ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mariam Ebrahim ◽

Dalal Alkazemi ◽

Tasleem A. Zafar ◽

Stan Kubow

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Body Dissatisfaction ◽

Disordered Eating ◽

Body Fat ◽

Body Image Dissatisfaction ◽

Eating Attitudes ◽

Male College ◽

Eat 26 ◽

Disordered Eating Attitudes ◽

Male College Students

Abstract Background The prevalence of disordered eating attitudes and body dissatisfaction based on muscularity and body fat was investigated among male college students in Kuwait with a range of body mass index values including underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese participants. Methods Data were collected, using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and the Bodybuilder Image Grid (BIG), from 400 male undergraduate students (84.8% Kuwaiti nationals) recruited from both public and private universities in Kuwait. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was used to determine the prevalence of symptomatology indicative of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa and to examine the associations between body dissatisfaction and muscularity and body fat. Results Most participants were dissatisfied with their current muscle mass and body fat (67.3 and 69%, respectively). Logistic regression analyses produced odds ratios (ORs) demonstrating that students dissatisfied with their muscularity and body fat and those who indicated a desire to decrease both muscularity and body fat had significantly higher odds of being at risk of disordered eating attitudes (OR = 2.241, 95% CI [1.17, 3.6], p = .032, and OR = 1.898, 95% CI [1.214, 2.967], p = .005, respectively). Obese participants also had higher odds of exhibiting disordered eating attitudes (OR = 2.06, 95% CI [1.17, 3.60], p = .011). Conclusion The high proportion of disordered eating attitudes among Kuwaiti college men was associated with high levels of body image dissatisfaction in relation to both body fat and muscularity. High levels of eating disorder symptoms were also linked to obesity.

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The frequency, type and impact of appearance comparisons on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviours in women's daily lives

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2016.01.549 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 33 (S1) ◽

pp. s223-s223

Author(s):

K. Drutschinin ◽

M. Fuller-Tyszkiewicz ◽

T. De Paoli ◽

V. Lewis ◽

I. Krug

Keyword(s):

Body Dissatisfaction ◽

Disordered Eating ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Eating Pathology ◽

Self Report ◽

Eating Behaviours ◽

Appearance Comparison ◽

Ecological Sampling ◽

The Impact ◽

State Body

ObjectiveTo examine the impact of appearance comparison behaviours, trait body dissatisfaction and eating pathology on women's state body dissatisfaction and engagement in disordered eating behaviours in daily life.MethodUsing ecological sampling method (ESM), 116 women residing in Australia, completed a baseline questionnaire containing the trait-based measures, before being signalled by an iPhone app six times daily, for seven days, to self-report on their recent appearance comparison behaviours, current state body dissatisfaction and recent disordered eating behaviours.ResultsMulti-level modelling revealed that upward comparisons (comparisons against more attractive individuals) elicited increases in state body dissatisfaction (β = 0.89, P < .001) and disordered eating behaviours (β = 0.29, P = .002). Contrastingly, downward comparisons (comparisons against less attractive individuals) elicited decreases in state body dissatisfaction (β = –0.31, P = .048) and, unexpectedly, increases in disordered eating behaviours (β = 0.46, P < .01). The frequency of appearance comparison engagement, regardless of whether it was upward or downward comparisons, was also predictive of increased disordered eating behaviours (β = 0.12, P < .001). In addition, eating pathology and trait body dissatisfaction were directly associated with higher state body dissatisfaction, and increased in disordered eating behaviours (all P < .001).ConclusionThese findings highlight the general negative impact that appearance comparisons have on fluctuating states of body dissatisfaction and eating pathology, as well as illustrating how trait characteristics partially account for this volatility. These findings provide further information that may be used to inform eating disorder prevention and intervention efforts.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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