Female objectification, body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviour in a non-clinical sample

Attractiveness, and associated thinness, continues to be the determinant of social acceptance and desirability for most women in Westernised societies. The way in which females are objectified through social attitudes and gender ideals, highlights the importance of attractiveness in through which women gain social status, acceptance and power. Failure to achieve this ideal has been linked to increased body surveillance, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behaviour(s). While many women express body dissatisfaction and negative self-talk, fewer women actually engage in disordered eating practices. This study aimed to explore women‟s views about their bodies and to identify predictors of body objectification, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behaviour in a non-clinical population. It was hypothesised that women, who have strongly based their identity according to societal values and gender role expectations, would be more likely to experience higher levels of body dissatisfaction and be at greater risk of manifesting disordered eating behaviour(s). Two-hundred-and-nine women, aged between 18-65 years were recruited via convenience sampling and completed the following battery of questionnaires: Socio-cultural Attitude Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ), Body Image Ideals Questionnaire (BIQ), Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (OBC), Silencing the Self Scale (STSS), Sense of Belonging Instrument-Psychological (SOBI-P), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), and Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory (CFNI). Predictors of body objectification, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating were determined using multiple linear regression and analyses of variance were used to make comparisons between groups based on developmental age, disturbed eating, disordered eating, and body mass index. Consistent with previous research findings, the current study found that body dissatisfaction, objectified body consciousness, and disturbed eating behaviour were prevalent within women aged 18-65 years.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

other

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Victoria University

Year dc:date.issued

2010

Author dc:creator

• Nolan, Lyndsey

• 1701 Psychology
• School of Social Sciences and Psychology

Language dc:language

en