Associations Among Internalization of Western Media Appearance Ideals, Acculturative Stress, and Body Image Problems in Asian American Men

Past studies revealed that stress emerging from acculturation and the influence of Western media body ideals have a great influence on body dissatisfaction as well as on disordered eating. However, that existing literature was based largely on women and on some Hispanic men. Thus, the present study aimed to explore the associations among acculturative stress, internalization of Western media body ideals, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating specifically among Asian American men. For this purpose, 75 Asian American men, who were recruited through the online Prolific platform, completed the Qualtrics survey that consisted of the measures assessing these variables. Controlling for BMI, regression analyses indicated that both acculturative stress and internalization of Western media body ideals predicted various dimensions of body dissatisfaction (muscularity, low body fat, and height), as well as eating concerns that characterize disordered eating. A serial mediation analysis revealed that acculturative stress was associated with greater internalization of Western media body ideals, subsequently heightening body dissatisfaction, which in turn increased disordered eating behaviors. This study’s findings imply the importance of culturally informed interventions and preventative strategies targeting acculturative stress and promoting critical awareness of media body ideals. Future studies are needed to better understand the underlying causes of these associations, as well as to tailor intervention targeting this particular cultural group.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychological Research

Grantor

Texas State University

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Shiva, Tasnia

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Oberle, Crystal

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Czyzewska, Maria
• Howard, Krista

• internalization of western media
• acculturative stress
• body image problems
• Asian Americans

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10877/22415

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.library.txst.edu:10877/22415