The Role of Body Image on Psychosocial Outcomes in People With Diabetes and People With an Amputation

IntroductionResearch indicates that body image disturbance is associated with poorer psychosocial outcomes for individuals with physical health conditions, with poorest body image reported for individuals with visible bodily changes. Using White’s (2000) theoretical model of body image the present paper aimed to examine the nature of these relationships in two distinct groups: individuals with an amputation and individuals with diabetes. It was hypothesized that body image disturbance would be associated with psychosocial outcomes and would mediate the relationships between self-ideal discrepancy and personal investment in psychosocial outcomes.MethodsIndividuals with diabetes (N = 212) and individuals with an amputation (N = 227) provided details regarding their medical condition, and completed measures assessing body image, investment, self-ideal discrepancy, depression, anxiety, and quality of life. Structural equation and invariance modeling were used to test the model paths and the invariance of the model.ResultsAs hypothesized, body image disturbance was found to mediate the relationships between personal investment and psychosocial outcome, and between self-ideal discrepancy and psychosocial outcome. The predicted paths were invariant across groups, although the model accounted for more variance in people with an amputation than people with diabetes.ConclusionBody image disturbance, personal investment, and self-ideal discrepancy are important factors contributing to psychosocial outcome for individuals with diabetes and individuals with an amputation. These findings not only confirm the validity of the model in these two groups, but they emphasize the importance of targeting body image in future psychological interventions for individuals with a health condition.

The relationship between men’s peer and social media muscularity ideal discrepancies and body satisfaction

Previous studies have shown that discrepancy between perceptions of one’s actual body type and the ideal bodies of their peers is an important factor for one’s body satisfaction. However, there is a lack of research assessing the formation of media-specific discrepancies, the impact of different types of discrepancies together, and discrepancies in adult men. The current study explored the impact of adult men’s actual and ideal body perceptions on their body satisfaction. Data were collected on the discrepancies between men’s actual muscularity and perceptions of their off-line male and female peers’ male ideal, and perceptions of the male ideal from men and women on social networking sites (SNSs). A total of 277 adult men ( Mage = 36.55; SD = 11.34) completed a survey online. Actual–ideal discrepancies were present for all four comparison ideals. Overall body satisfaction was significantly linked to the close female friend ideal discrepancy, whereas muscularity satisfaction was connected to all four comparison ideals. Body fat satisfaction was not impacted by any of the discrepancies. The most significant predictor of muscularity satisfaction was the close female friends’ ideal discrepancy. Implications suggest the continued use of self-discrepancy theory in new contexts, and continued importance of off-line relationships, despite SNS use.

Tracking the Elusive Actual-Ideal Discrepancy Model Within Latent Subpopulations

This substantive-methodological synergy applies mixture modeling to verify whether the elusive, yet widely endorsed, actual-ideal discrepancy (AID) model might be verified in specific subgroups. Relations between Actual and Ideal Appearance, Physical Self-Concept (PSC), and Global Self-Esteem (GSE) were assessed with Mixture Structural Equation Models in a large sample of youth (N = 1,693). The results revealed three profiles, one of which (25.7%) supported the predicted negative effect of Ideal Appearance on PSC. The relations seem to be more complex than assumed, such that the effects of Actual Appearance on PSC/GSE increase as ideal standards increase, and that the negative effects of ideal standards on PSC are only apparent when these standards are lower. These results suggest the need for a revised AID model where ideals play a weighting role in the relations between Actual Appearance, PSC, and GSE.

Self-Other Positioning in Obesity: A Pilot Study Using Repertory Grid Technique

Self-other positioning was investigated in a group of obese youths in order to empirically test the clinical hy-pothesis – based on the constructionist theory of Family Semantic Polarities – that obese people are affected by a negative self-perception and low self-esteem. Repertory grid technique was used with 30 participants (15 obese-overweight and 15 control) to elicit and compare their personal constructs and assess, via ad hoc measurement indices, the positions they as- signed to the self and significant others in relation to these constructs. The results confirmed the research hypotheses, with obese subjects displaying a tendency to pos ition both self and others at the negative pole of bipolar constructs and reporting greater self-ideal discrepancy. These findings and their limitations are discussed in relation to their clinical applications and in light of the methodologi cal issues arising from the study.

A stronger latent‐variable methodology to actual–ideal discrepancy

We introduce a latent actual–ideal discrepancy (LAID) approach based on structural equation models (SEMs) with multiple indicators and empirically weighted variables. In Study 1, we demonstrate with simulated data, the superiority of a weighted approach to discrepancy in comparison to a classic unweighted one. In Study 2, we evaluate the effects of actual and ideal appearance on physical self‐concept and self‐esteem. Actual appearance contributes positively to physical self‐concept and self‐esteem, whereas ideal appearance contributes negatively. In support of multidimensional perspective, actual‐ and ideal‐appearance effects on self‐esteem are substantially—but not completely—mediated by physical self‐concept. Whereas this pattern of results generalises across gender and age, multiple‐group invariance tests show that the effect of actual appearance on physical self‐concept is larger for women than for men. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.