Predictors of Self-Objectification in New Female Fitness Center Members

This study aimed to identify predictors of self-objectification among exercising women. A brief questionnaire incorporating demographic questions and measures of self-objectification was completed by 133 new female fitness center members (aged 16 to 68 years) upon joining a fitness center and 12 months later. Results demonstrated that young women who remained fitness center members had greater self-objectification at 12 months than women who ceased their memberships. Furthermore, both initial age and reasons for exercise predicted subsequent increases in self-objectification. Specifically, being younger, as well as being more motivated by appearance-related reasons to exercise, predicted self-objectification at 12 months. These findings suggest that young women exercising within the fitness center environment may be at an increased risk of developing self-objectification, one of the predictors of negative body image and disordered eating.

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Why Do Women Exercise? Factor Analysis and Further Validation of the Reasons for Exercise Inventory

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1994.78.2.539 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 78 (2) ◽

pp. 539-544 ◽

Cited By ~ 107

Author(s):

Thomas F. Cash ◽

Pamela L. Now ◽

Jill R. Grant

Keyword(s):

Body Image ◽

Factor Analysis ◽

Weight Management ◽

Health Management ◽

Mood Management ◽

Negative Body Image ◽

Women Subjects ◽

Exercising Women ◽

Reasons For Exercise ◽

Weekly Frequency

This investigation examined the factor structure and correlates of the Reasons for Exercise Inventory among 101 exercising women. Subjects completed the 24-item inventory (with one added item), reported their weekly frequency of exercise, and completed two standardized body-image measures. Factor analysis indicated that, with minor modifications, the instrument has an internally consistent structure with four factors of Appearance/Weight Management, Fitness/Health Management, Stress/ Mood Management, and Socializing. Appearance/Weight Management was associated with a more negative body image independent of actual body mass and was the only motive related to self-reported frequency of exercise.

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Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body Image

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13010079 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 79

Author(s):

Lenka H. Shriver ◽

Jessica M. Dollar ◽

Susan D. Calkins ◽

Susan P. Keane ◽

Lilly Shanahan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Image ◽

Emotion Regulation ◽

Emotional Regulation ◽

Emotional Eating ◽

Weight Status ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Obesity Risk ◽

Negative Body Image ◽

Increased Risk

Emotional eating is associated with an increased risk of binge eating, eating in the absence of hunger and obesity risk. While previous studies with children and adolescents suggest that emotion regulation may be a key predictor of this dysregulated eating behavior, little is known about what other factors may be influencing the link between emotional regulation and emotional eating in adolescence. This multi-method longitudinal study (n = 138) utilized linear regression models to examine associations between childhood emotion regulation, adolescent weight status and negative body image, and emotional eating at age 17. Emotion regulation predicted adolescent emotional eating and this link was moderated by weight status (β = 1.19, p < 0.01) and negative body image (β = −0.34, p < 0.01). Higher engagement in emotional eating was predicted by lower emotional regulation scores among normal-weight teens (β = −0.46, p < 0.001) but not among overweight/obese teens (β = 0.32, p > 0.10). Higher scores on emotion regulation were significantly associated with lower emotional eating at high (β = −1.59, p < 0.001) and low (β = −1.00, p < 0.01) levels of negative body image. Engagement in emotional eating was predicted by higher negative body image among overweight/obese teens only (β = 0.70, p < 0.001). Our findings show that while better childhood emotion regulation skills are associated with lower emotional eating, weight status and negative body image influence this link and should be considered as important foci in future interventions that aim to reduce emotional eating in adolescence.

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RESEARCH: Quest Orientation in Young Women: Age Trends During Emerging Adulthood and Relations to Body Image and Disordered Eating

International Journal for the Psychology of Religion ◽

10.1207/s15327582ijpr1603_4 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 197-207 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Chris J. Boyatzis ◽

Kelly M. McConnell

Keyword(s):

Body Image ◽

Emerging Adulthood ◽

Disordered Eating ◽

Young Women ◽

Age Trends

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Development and validation of the Physical Activity Body Experiences Questionnaire

Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic ◽

10.1521/bumc.2019.83.1.53 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 83 (1) ◽

pp. 53-83 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jessie E. Menzel ◽

J. Kevin Thompson ◽

Michael P. Levine

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Image ◽

Disordered Eating ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Body Awareness ◽

Positive Body Image ◽

Body Experiences ◽

Two Samples ◽

Self Objectification

Embodiment is defined as a state in which one experiences one's physical body as an essential aspect of one's lived experiences, a potential protective factor against body image and eating disturbance. The Physical Activity Body Experiences Questionnaire (PABEQ) was rationally derived as a measure of embodiment based on focus groups, literature reviews, and expert review. The PABEQ and measures of body image, self-objectification, and disordered eating were administered to two samples randomly selected from a pool of 606 female undergraduate students at least 18 years of age and a third test–retest sample of 58 female undergraduates. Exploratory factor analyses and reliability estimates supported a two-factor scale: Mind-Body Connection and Body Acceptance. Results indicated the utility of the subscales in predicting body awareness, body responsiveness, positive body image, body satisfaction, self-objectification, disordered eating, and positive body image.

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