Original scientific paper

Predictors of body dissatisfaction and dissorderly eating habits in the sociokultural model context

Daniela Šincek orcid.org/0000-0001-8011-3280 ; Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta J.J.Strossmayera u Osijeku, Odsjek za psihologiju
Jasmina Tomašić Humer orcid.org/0000-0002-3605-740X ; Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta J.J.Strossmayera u Osijeku, Odsjek za psihologiju
Marija Merda

Abstract

Physical activity and eating habits have a significant role in maintaining health. According to the sociocultural model, young women in the midst of internalisation of society's beauty standards can be more prone to dissatisfaction with their own physical appearance and as a consequence be more prone to undesirable health behaviours. The goal was to examine the contribution of physical activity, the importance of physical appearance, internalisation of the ideal body image and body mass index in explaining dissatisfaction with body image and the contribution of the body mass index and dissatisfaction with body image to the explanation of disordered eating habits. 228 university students participated. They completed a Socio-demographic and Anthropology Measures Questionnaire, Body Shape Questionnaire, Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Scale and Eating Attitudes Test. More than half of the examined students (55.7%) were not sufficiently physically active, while 18 participants (7.9%) achieved the result considered divergent enough that a consultation with an eating disorders expert was recommendable. Body mass index, general internalisation of society standards of the ideal body image, pressure to achieve the ideal body image and internalisation of the sport ideal, and also, the importance that students give to their physical appearance were significant predictors of dissatisfaction with body image. Significant predictors of disordered eating habits proved to be body mass index and dissatisfaction with their own body image. The analysis showed different types of significant indirect effects (cross – over suppression for explaining the total result, mediation for explaining dieting and classical suppression for explaining both bulimia and oral control), while the correlation pattern suggested the different nature of relations among particular Eating Attitudes Test subscales and the same set of correlates.

Keywords

sociocultural model; body dissatisfaction; disordered eating habits; physical activity; internalisation of socity's beauty standards

Hrčak ID:

177824

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/177824

Publication date:

20.3.2017.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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