"That swimsuit becomes you: Sex differences in self-objectification, restrained eating, and math performance": Correction to Fredrickson et al. (1998).

Reports an error in "That swimsuit becomes you: Sex differences in self-objectification, restrained eating, and math performance" by Barbara L. Fredrickson, Tomi-Ann Roberts, Stephanie M. Noll, Diane M. Quinn and Jean M. Twenge (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1998[Jul], Vol 75[1], 269-284). This article contains errors in the Participants sections. The corrected information is included in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1998-04530-020.) Objectification theory (B. L. Fredrickson & T Roberts, 1997) posits that American culture socializes women to adopt observers' perspectives on their physical selves. This self-objectification is hypothesized to (a) produce body shame, which in turn leads to restrained eating, and (b) consume attentional resources, which is manifested in diminished mental performance. Two experiments manipulated self-objectification by having participants try on a swimsuit or a sweater. Experiment 1 tested 72 women and found that self-objectification increased body shame, which in turn predicted restrained eating. Experiment 2 tested 42 women and 40 men and found that these effects on body shame and restrained eating replicated for women only. Additionally, self-objectification diminished math performance for women only. Discussion centers on the causes and consequences of objectifying women's bodies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testing mediators hypothesized to account for the effects of a dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program over longer term follow-up.

Objective: Test the hypothesis that reductions in thin-ideal internalization and body dissatisfaction mediate the effects of a dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program on reductions in eating disorder symptoms over 1-year follow-up. Method: Data were drawn from a randomized effectiveness trial in which 306 female high school students (mean age = 15.7 years, SD = 1.1) with body image concerns were randomized to the 4-session dissonance-based prevention program or an educational brochure control condition, wherein school counselors and nurses were responsible for participant recruitment and intervention delivery. Results: Dissonance-intervention participants showed greater reductions in thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorder symptoms; change in thin-ideal internalization predicted change in body dissatisfaction and symptoms; change in body dissatisfaction predicted change in symptoms; and all indirect effects were significant. Change in thin-ideal internalization fully mediated the effects of intervention condition on change in body dissatisfaction and partially mediated the effects on symptoms; change in body dissatisfaction partially mediated the effect of intervention condition on change in symptoms. Conclusions: Findings provided support for the intervention theory of this eating disorder prevention program over longer term follow-up, extending the evidence base for this effective intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Are body dissatisfaction, eating disturbance, and body mass index predictors of suicidal behavior in adolescents? A longitudinal study.

Disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, and obesity have been associated cross sectionally with suicidal behavior in adolescents. To determine the extent to which these variables predicted suicidal ideation and attempts, the authors examined these relationships in a longitudinal design. The study population included 2,516 older adolescents and young adults who completed surveys for Project EAT-II (Time 2), a 5-year follow-up study of adolescents who had taken part in Project EAT (Time 1). Odds ratios for suicidal behaviors at Time 2 were estimated with multiple logistic regression. Predictor variables included Time 1 extreme and unhealthy weight control behaviors (EWCB and UWCB), body dissatisfaction, and body mass index percentile. Suicidal ideation was reported by 15.2% of young men and 21.6% of young women, and suicide attempts were reported by 3.5% of young men and 8.7% of young women. For young women, suicidal ideation at Time 2 was predicted by Time 1 EWCB. The odds ratio for suicide attempts was similarly elevated in young women who had reported EWCB at Time 1. These odds ratios for both suicidal ideation and suicide attempts remained elevated even after controlling for Time 2 depressive symptoms. In young men, EWCB was not associated with suicidal ideation or suicide attempts 5 years later. Body mass index and body dissatisfaction did not predict suicidal ideation or suicide attempts in young men or young women. These results emphasize the importance of EWCB. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Body dissatisfaction, ethnic identity, and disordered eating among African American women.

Initial research suggested that only European American women developed eating disorders (Garner, 1993), yet recent studies have shown that African American women do experience them (e.g., Lester & Petrie, 1998b; Mulholland & Mintz, 2001) and also may be negatively affected by similar sociocultural variables. In this study, we examined a sociocultural model of eating disorders for African American women but included the influences of ethnic identity (e.g., Hall, 1995; Helms, 1990). Participants (N = 322) were drawn from 5 different universities. They completed measures representing ethnic identity, societal pressures regarding thinness, internalization of societal beauty ideals, body image concerns, and disordered eating. Structural equation modeling revealed that ethnic identity was inversely, and societal pressures regarding thinness directly, related to internalization of societal beauty ideals. Societal pressures regarding thinness was also related to greater body image concerns. Both internalization of societal beauty ideals and body image concerns were positively associated with disordered eating (R2 = .79). Overall, the final model fit the data well, supporting its generalizability and the importance of ethnic identity in determining risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Objectification theory and deaf cultural identity attitudes: Roles in deaf women's eating disorder symptomatology.

This study examined the generalizability of direct and mediated links posited in objectification theory among internalization of sociocultural standards of beauty, body surveillance, body shame, and eating disorder symptoms with a sample of Deaf women. The study also examined the role of marginal Deaf cultural identity attitudes within this framework. Data from 177 Deaf women indicated positive relations among internalization, body surveillance, body shame, and eating disorder symptomatology. Consistent with tenets of objectification theory, body shame mediated the links of internalization and body surveillance with eating disorder symptoms. In addition, marginal Deaf identity attitudes (but not hearing, immersion, or bicultural attitudes) were linked uniquely with eating disorder constructs and had significant indirect relations through internalization with body surveillance, body shame, and eating disorder symptoms. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

That swimsuit becomes you: Sex differences in self-objectification, restrained eating, and math performance.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 75(5) of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (see record 2008-09596-001). This article contains errors in the Participants sections. The corrected information is included in the erratum.] Objectification theory (B. L. Fredrickson & T Roberts, 1997) posits that American culture socializes women to adopt observers' perspectives on their physical selves. This self-objectification is hypothesized to (a) produce body shame, which in turn leads to restrained eating, and (b) consume attentional resources, which is manifested in diminished mental performance. Two experiments manipulated self-objectification by having participants try on a swimsuit or a sweater. Experiment 1 tested 72 women and found that self-objectification increased body shame, which in turn predicted restrained eating. Experiment 2 tested 42 women and 40 men and found that these effects on body shame and restrained eating replicated for women only. Additionally, self-objectification diminished math performance for women only. Discussion centers on the causes and consequences of objectifying women's bodies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Roles of Sexual Objectification Experiences and Internalization of Standards of Beauty in Eating Disorder Symptomatology: A Test and Extension of Objectification Theory.

This study extends the literature on eating disorder symptomatology by testing, based on extant literature on objectification theory (B. L. Fredrickson & T. Roberts, 1997) and the role of sociocultural standards of beauty (e.g., L. J. Heinberg, J. K. Thompson, & S. Stormer, 1995), a model that examines (a) links of reported sexual objectification experiences to eating disorder-related variables and (b) the mediating roles of body surveillance, body shame, and internalization of sociocultural standards of beauty. Consistent with hypotheses, with a sample of 221 young women, support was found for a model in which (a) internalization of sociocultural standards of beauty mediated the links of sexual objectification experiences to body surveillance, body shame, and eating disorder symptoms, (b) body surveillance was an additional mediator of the link of reported sexual objectification experiences to body shame, and (c) body shame mediated the links of internalization and body surveillance to disordered eating. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Externalized self-perceptions, self-silencing, and the prediction of eating pathology.

Gender role socialization models posit that the greater prevalence of problematic eating patterns in girls and women is partly due to a socialization process whereby women are taught to view themselves in relation to others, to avoid confrontation, and to conform to societal ideals regarding thinness. This study explored the relationship of these factors to eating pathology. 236 undergraduate women (aged 18-24 years) completed measures related to body image (body dissatisfaction, weight status, perceived importance of shape and weight), relational variables shaped by differential gender role socialization (externalized self-perceptions, self-silencing behaviors and attitudes), and disturbed eating cognitions and behaviors. Perceived importance of shape and weight and externalized self-perceptions were found to predict maladaptive eating-related cognitions, and self-silencing predicted bulimic behaviors when body-related variables were controlled. Thus, it appears that externalized self-perceptions and self-silencing are indeed related to eating disturbances, although further research is needed to demonstrate a causal role for these variables in the development of eating disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

U.S. Muslim women and body image: Links among objectification theory constructs and the hijab.

This study tested tenets of objectification theory and explored the role of the hijab in body image and eating disorder symptoms with a sample of 118 Muslim women in the United States. Results from a path analysis indicated that individual differences in wearing the hijab were related negatively with reported sexual objectification experiences. Sexual objectification experiences, in turn, had significant positive indirect relations with body surveillance, body shame, and eating disorder symptoms, primarily through the mediating role of internalization. Internalization of cultural standards of beauty also had a significant positive direct relation with body shame and significant positive direct and indirect relations with eating disorder symptoms. By contrast, the direct and indirect relations of body surveillance were significant only when the role of internalization was constrained to 0 (i.e., eliminated), suggesting that internalization of cultural standards of beauty subsumed the hypothesized role of body surveillance in the model. Taken together, these results support some of the tenets of objectification theory with a sample of U.S. Muslim women, point to the importance of internalization of dominant cultural standards of beauty within that framework, and suggest the utility of considering individual differences in wearing the hijab among U.S. Muslim women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sociocultural factors and the development of disordered eating: A longitudinal analysis of competing hypotheses.

Sociocultural models hypothesize causal paths in the development of eating disorders, yet few longitudinal studies have controlled for temporal stability, leaving open the question as to causality and the directionality of effects. In the present study, the authors tested portions of the socioculturally based dual-pathway model, specifically, the risk factor hypotheses that internalization of the thin ideal predicts body dissatisfaction, that body dissatisfaction predicts depressive affect, and that depressive affect predicts disordered eating. The authors also examined competing hypotheses (e.g., disordered eating predicts depressive affect) as well as the possibility of simultaneous relationships (i.e., variables would be related to one another within a time frame). The 6 models (3 cross-lagged and 3 simultaneous) were evaluated using 236 female freshmen who provided self-report data during their 1st semester in college and 6 months later. While controlling for temporal stability, structural equation modeling revealed that (a) internalization and body image each were related to the other across time; (b) body image was related directionally, but only in the simultaneous context, to depressive affect; and (c) depressive affect and disordered eating were related reciprocally and temporally to one another. Directions for future research and implications for intervention are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dissonance and healthy weight eating disorder prevention programs: Long-term effects from a randomized efficacy trial.

Adolescent girls with body dissatisfaction (N = 481, SD = 1.4) were randomized to a dissonance-based thin-ideal internalization reduction program, healthy weight control program, expressive writing control condition, or assessment-only control condition. Dissonance participants showed significantly greater decreases in thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, negative affect, eating disorder symptoms, and psychosocial impairment and lower risk for eating pathology onset through 2- to 3-year follow-up than did assessment-only controls. Dissonance participants showed greater decreases in thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, and psychosocial impairment than did expressive writing controls. Healthy weight participants showed greater decreases in thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, negative affect, eating disorder symptoms, and psychosocial impairment; less increases in weight; and lower risk for eating pathology and obesity onset through 2- to 3-year follow-up than did assessment-only controls. Healthy weight participants showed greater decreases in thin-ideal internalization and weight than did expressive writing controls. Dissonance participants showed a 60% reduction in risk for eating pathology onset, and healthy weight participants showed a 61% reduction in risk for eating pathology onset and a 55% reduction in risk for obesity onset relative to assessment-only controls through 3-year follow-up, implying that the effects are clinically important and enduring. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A 20-year longitudinal study of body weight, dieting, and eating disorder symptoms.

The article describes a 20-year longitudinal study of body weight, dieting, and disordered eating in women and men. Body weight increased significantly over time in both women and men. However, women's weight perception and dieting frequency decreased over time, whereas men's weight perception and dieting frequency increased, and disordered eating declined more in women than in men from late adolescence to midlife. In both women and men, changes in weight perception and dieting frequency were associated with changes in disordered eating. In addition, adult roles such as marriage and parenthood were associated with significant decreases in disordered eating from late adolescence to midlife in women, whereas few associations were observed in men. Despite different developmental trajectories, women demonstrated more weight dissatisfaction, dieting, and disordered eating compared with men across the period of observation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Body image across the life span in adult women: The role of self-objectification.

This study aimed to investigate women's body image across the entire life span from within the theoretical perspective provided by objectification theory (B. L. Fredrickson & T.-A. Roberts, 1997). In a cross-sectional study, a sample of 322 women ranging in age from 20 to 84 years completed a questionnaire measuring body dissatisfaction, self-objectification, and its proposed consequences. Although body dissatisfaction remained stable across the age range, self-objectification, habitual body monitoring, appearance anxiety, and disordered eating symptomatology all significantly decreased with age. Self-objectification was found to mediate the relationship between age and disordered eating symptomatology. It was concluded that objectification theory helps clarify the processes involved in the changes in body image that occur with age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Body image and eating disorder symptoms in sexual minority men: A test and extension of objectification theory.

On the basis of integrating objectification theory research with research on body image and eating problems among sexual minority men, the present study examined relations among sociocultural and psychological correlates of eating disorder symptoms with a sample of 231 sexual minority men. Results of a path analysis supported tenets of objectification theory with the sample. Specifically, findings were consistent with relations posited in objectification theory among sexual objectification experiences, internalization of cultural standards of attractiveness, body surveillance, body shame, and eating disorder symptoms. Within this set of positive relations, internalization of cultural standards of attractiveness partially mediated the link of sexual objectification experiences with body surveillance; body surveillance partially mediated the relation of internalization with body shame; and body shame partially mediated the relation of body surveillance with eating disorder symptoms. In addition to these relations, internalized homophobia was related to greater eating disorder symptoms through body shame, and recalled childhood harassment for gender nonconformity was linked with eating disorder symptoms through a positive series of relations involving internalization of cultural standards of attractiveness, body surveillance, and body shame. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

From the Cleavers to the Clintons: role choices and body orientation as reflected in magazine article content

The media have been heavily implicated as sources of overconcern with body focus, attractiveness, and thinness, primarily for women. Attendant negative consequences are widely assumed. Yet there appears to be a recent media trend to concern with physical health and fitness, rather than just appearance. This trend has not been empirically assessed. Further, previous research has not adequately explored the possibility that there may be an assortment of physical ideals represented in the media, which may vary according to the different audiences being targeted. The current study assessed magazine article content, examining gender differences, time trends, and magazine audience type. Four types of article content were examined: health, fitness, beauty, and weight loss, in an attempt to capture the major aspects of body focus. The numbers of articles containing such content were tallied, over a 12-year period, in a sample of magazines oriented to three distinct audiences: traditional, high fashion, and modern. Huge gender differences were obtained, with female-targeted magazines not surprisingly outstripping male-targeted ones for all content categories assessed. There were also clear differences in content between magazine types. Time-trend analyses indicated a decrease in emphasis on weight loss in women's magazines over the period studied, and a statistical trend for an increase in weight loss focus in men's magazines. We conclude that apparent trends toward healthier habits are not just thinness goals revisited.     

Moderators of the body dissatisfaction-eating disorder symptomatology relationship: Replication and extension.

In this study, research conducted by T. L. Tylka (2004) was replicated and extended by examining perfectionism (self-oriented and socially prescribed), ego goal orientation, body surveillance, and neuroticism as moderators of the relationship between body dissatisfaction and bulimic and anorexic symptomatology among female undergraduates (N = 398). Hierarchical moderated regression was used to test the main and interactive effects of the models and to control for physical size and social desirability. As expected, body dissatisfaction was strongly related to the measures of disordered eating, accounting for 16% to 26% of the variance. Two variables (neuroticism and body surveillance) received support as moderators of the relationships between body dissatisfaction and bulimic and anorexic symptoms. Ego goal orientation and socially prescribed perfectionism moderated the effects of body dissatisfaction on bulimic symptoms, whereas self-oriented perfectionism served as a moderator only for anorexic symptoms. In all instances, higher levels of body dissatisfaction paired with higher levels of the moderator were associated with more disturbed eating. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-subjugation among women: Exposure to sexist ideology, self-objectification, and the protective function of the need to avoid closure.

Despite extensive evidence confirming the negative consequences of self-objectification, direct experimental evidence concerning its environmental antecedents is scarce. Incidental exposure to sexist cues was employed in 3 experiments to investigate its effect on self-objectification variables. Consistent with system justification theory, exposure to benevolent and complementary forms of sexism, but not hostile or no sexism, increased state self-objectification, self-surveillance, and body shame among women but not men in Experiment 1. In Experiment 2, we replicated these effects and demonstrated that they are specific to self-objectification and not due to a more general self-focus. In addition, following exposure to benevolent sexism only, women planned more future behaviors pertaining to appearance management than did men; this effect was mediated by self-surveillance and body shame. Experiment 3 revealed that the need to avoid closure might afford women some protection against self-objectification in the context of sexist ideology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dietary Restraint, Body Dissatisfaction, and Psychological Distress: A Prospective Analysis.

This study uses prospective data from a survey of 1,177 adolescent girls to examine whether emotional eating, binge eating, abnormal attitudes to eating and weight, low self-esteem, stress, and depression are associated with dietary restraint or body dissatisfaction. In analyses that included both restraint and body dissatisfaction as independent predictors, restraint was associated only with more negative attitudes to eating, whereas body dissatisfaction was significantly associated with all the adverse outcomes. These results cast doubt on the proposition that restrained eating is a primary cause of bulimic symptoms, emotional eating, and psychological distress seen in individuals who are trying to control their weight, and rather suggest that body dissatisfaction is the key factor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development and psychometric evaluation of a measure of intuitive eating.

Intuitive eating is characterized by eating based on physiological hunger and satiety cues rather than situational and emotional cues and is associated with psychological well-being. This study reports on the development and initial psychometric evaluation of the Intuitive Eating Scale (IES) with data collected in 4 studies from 1,260 college women. Exploratory factor analysis uncovered 3 factors: unconditional permission to eat, eating for physical rather than emotional reasons, and reliance on internal hunger/satiety cues; confirmatory factor analysis suggested that this 3-factor model adequately fit the data after 4 items with factor loadings below .45 were deleted. IES scores were internally consistent and stable over a 3-week period. Supporting its construct validity, IES scores were (a) negatively related to eating disorder symptomatology, body dissatisfaction, poor interoceptive awareness, pressure for thinness, internalization of the thin ideal, and body mass; (b) positively related to several indexes of well-being; and (c) unrelated to impression management. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An effectiveness trial of a dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program for high-risk adolescent girls.

Efficacy trials indicate that an eating disorder prevention program involving dissonance-inducing activities that decrease thin-ideal internalization reduces risk for current and future eating pathology, yet it is unclear whether this program produces effects under real-world conditions. The present effectiveness trial tested whether this program produced effects when school staff recruit participants and deliver the intervention. Adolescent girls with body image concerns (N = 306; M age = 15.7, SD = 1.1) randomized to the dissonance intervention showed significantly greater decreases in thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, dieting attempts, and eating disorder symptoms from pretest to posttest than did those assigned to a psychoeducational brochure control condition, with the effects for body dissatisfaction, dieting, and eating disorder symptoms persisting through 1-year follow-up. Effects were slightly smaller than those observed in a prior efficacy trial, suggesting that this program is effective under real-world conditions, but that facilitator selection, training, and supervision could be improved. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)