Effects of Thin-ideal Internalization and Physical Comparison on Disordered Eating Behavior : The Verification of the Mediating Effect on Body Shame

It is widely known that sexual assault disproportionately affects women, and college-aged women are particularly at risk. Sexual assault can occur at any age and may have a varying range of emotional consequences for survivors, including pathological coping mechanisms such as disordered eating behaviors. This study examined the mediating effect of resilience on the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and disordered eating behavior in a sample of women who reported experiencing sexual assault in adulthood. The sample included 312 undergraduate women who identified as majority White (81.4%) and heterosexual (77.9%). Participants completed measures assessing history of sexual experiences, PTSD symptoms, disordered eating behavior, and resilience. Only those who reported experiences of sexual victimization since age 14+ were included in analyses. Results confirmed the hypothesis, as resilience significantly mediated the relationship between PTSD symptoms and disordered eating behavior in a sample of women with a history of sexual victimization. These results highlight the importance of resilience as a mitigating factor in recovery from sexual trauma. Other research indicates that resilience may have emotion-regulatory benefits that mitigate the development of disordered eating behavior. However, the specific functionality of resilience as a protective factor after sexual victimization is unclear. Further research should focus on ways to foster resilience in a clinical setting for those with a history of sexual victimization. Limitations of this study include underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities, as well as use of entirely self-report measures.

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Sexual Harassment Experience, Gender Harassment and Body Objectification Effect on Disordered Eating Tendencies

Informacijos mokslai ◽

10.15388/im.2021.92.47 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 92 ◽

pp. 8-27

Author(s):

Monika Aleksė ◽

Kristina Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė

Keyword(s):

Data Analysis ◽

Sexual Harassment ◽

Disordered Eating ◽

Eating Behavior ◽

Body Shame ◽

Gender Harassment ◽

Body Surveillance ◽

Body Objectification ◽

Disordered Eating Behavior ◽

And Gender

Various research on sexual harassment and gender harassment confirms the adverse effects on a person's physical and emotional health (Shrier, 1990), but so far, little is known about the impact of sexual harassment and gender harassment on one's body objectification and links to disordered eating behavior. Sexual harassment and gender harassment are not only based on gender stereotypes but also play an essential role in supporting gender norms in society by regulating what is seen as acceptable and unacceptable behavior, and appearance for gender. According to the theory of body objectification (Fredrickson, Roberts, 1997), both forms of gender discrimination can induce attention to one's body and appearance, which ultimately can lead to reduced satisfaction of one's body (Szymanski et al. 2011). Since body dissatisfaction is one of the leading causes of eating disorders (Brechan, Kvalem, 2015; Cruz-Sáez et al. 2018), it is important to have a better understanding of sexual harassment and gender harassment relationship with body objectification and disordered eating behavior. The study aims to assess the relationships between sexual harassment and gender harassment experiences, body-objectification, and disordered eating behavior tendencies. 181 (23 males, 158 females) aged 18-38 (M=24.12) participated in this research. Sexual Harassment Experience Questionnaire (Fitzgerald et al. 1998) was used to measure both Unwanted Sexual Attention (Cronbach α – 0,893) and Quid Pro Quo sexual harassment (Cronbach α – 0,876), and Gender Harassment experience (Cronbach α – 0,868). Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (McKinley et al. 1996) was used to measure body objectification: Body Shame (Cronbach α – 0,825) and Body Surveillance (Cronbach α – 0,804). The Eating Attitudes Test (Garner et al. 1979) was used to evaluate disordered eating behavior tendencies: Dieting (Cronbach α – 0,924), Bulimia and Food Preoccupation (Cronbach α – 0,725) and Oral Control (Cronbach α – 0,714). The results revealed significant sexual harassment and gender harassment experience differences between genders showing that women report significantly higher results of all forms of sexual harassment and gender harassment than men. Data analysis also revealed a statistically significant relationship between higher results of sexual harassment, gender harassment experience, and more pronounced disordered eating tendencies and higher body objectification. Data analysis has shown that gender harassment experience is a significant prognostic factor for higher body surveillance and body shame results, more frequent dieting.

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