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PubMed2002

Relationships between body image and depressive symptoms during postpartum in ethnically diverse, low income women.

The aim of this study was to examine body image, depressive symptoms, and their interrelationship at post-delivery and at 6 weeks postpartum in a triethnic sample of low income new mothers. Data for this study were drawn from the Austin New Mothers Study. Participants were 76 Anglo/White, 72 African American, and 135 Hispanic new mothers who were participating in Medicaid, at least 18 years old, free of medical risk factors, and delivered at term. Body image was measured by the Body Cathexis Scale (BCS) and depressive symptoms by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The leading areas of body dissatisfaction in postpartum were similar across ethnic groups. At 6 weeks postpartum Anglo women had the highest number of body image components perceived negatively, whereas African-American women had the least. In the overall sample, body image attitudes were significantly related to depressive symptoms in correlational (r's .19 to .34) and regression analyses. In addition, African American ethnicity was associated in regression analyses with higher depressive symptoms. Neither African American nor Hispanic ethnicity significantly moderated the relationship between body image attitudes and depressive symptoms in tests of interactions. Marital/partnered status and income level were related to depressive symptoms at both time points. In addition, being a woman with a parity of II was associated with higher depressive symptoms at 6 weeks postpartum. Although addition of these personal variables increased the percent of variance accounted for, body image attitudes continued to be significant predictors of depressive symptoms.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Comparison of male and female junior athletes' self-perceptions and body image.

Few studies have examined sex differences in body perceptions in sports where the pressure to display a certain physique is reduced. The aim of the present study was to investigate sex differences in physical self-perceptions and body image in junior athletes who are involved in sprint kayaking, a sport where a low body weight is relatively unimportant. 12 male and 13 female members (aged 13-17 yr.) of the British Canoe Union Junior Development Squad for sprint-kayak racing completed the Physical Self-perception Profile for Children and the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated that girls reported significandy higher Sports Competence and lower Appearance Orientation scores than boys. This study has raised a number of issues surrounding the physical self-perceptions and body image of junior athletes involved in a power- and strength-based sport. It seems that male athletes may also experience pressures to conform to a male version of a 'beautiful body'.

Body Constitution↗

PubMed1988

A method for the assessment of body image disturbance in patients with eating disorders.

This paper describes a new method for assessing body image disturbances in eating disordered patients. Fifteen bulimic, 25 anorexic, and 24 normal controls served as subjects. All subjects were matched for age and height, and bulimics and controls were matched for weight as well. All subjects completed the Perceived Body Image Scale (PBIS), which required subjects to report on how they see themselves when they look in the mirror, how they think they look, and how they feel themselves to be, reflecting the perceptual, cognitive, and affective aspects of body image, respectively. Subjects also selected their ideal. An objective rating was made. Objective ratings had a high correlation with the subject's weight. Results showed that both eating disorder groups demonstrated more apparent body image disturbance than controls, and that the bulimics showed significantly greater body image dissatisfaction than anorexics or controls. The potential use of the PBIS as a research and clinical instrument is discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Body image change in pregnancy: a comparison of normal weight and overweight primigravidas.

BACKGROUND: Body image in pregnancy has been linked to maternal and neonatal health. This study examined the relationship between prepregnancy body weight and body image change in primigravid women. METHODS: Through a self-administered, free-response questionnaire, 76 primigravidas of at least 30 weeks' gestation described their feelings about current appearance and body shape and compared these to prepregnancy feelings. Respondents also completed the Body Shape Questionnaire to measure current concern with body shape. RESULTS: Women who were overweight before pregnancy were more likely to have had a positive change in body image when they were at more than 30 weeks' gestation. Women who were normal weight before pregnancy were more likely to have had a negative change. Despite overweight women's positive changes, their body shape concerns were more negative than those of normal weight women. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the relationship between social values, prepregnancy body weight, and body image change during pregnancy. Some women may benefit from discussing their experiences in a patient-centered context.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Eating and body image disturbances in adolescent psychiatric inpatients: gender and ethnicity patterns.

OBJECTIVE: To examine gender and ethnicity patterns in eating and body image disturbances in adolescents hospitalized in a psychiatric facility. METHOD: Participants comprised 715 inpatients who completed the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory. Gender (317 males, 398 females), ethnicity (553 Caucasians, 77 Latinõ Americans, 85 African Americans), and Gender x Ethnicity interactions in the features of eating disorders and body image disturbance were explored in the study group. RESULTS: Eating-related disturbances at diagnostic threshold were infrequent but participants' reported rates of specific features and symptoms were not. Overall, a significantly higher proportion of females than males reported features of eating and body image disturbances. The three ethnic groups differed significantly in their reports of body image disturbances but not in their endorsement of features of eating disorders. Post-hoc comparisons revealed that a significantly higher proportion of Caucasian participants reported body image concerns than did African American and Latinõ American participants who did not differ significantly from one another. Significant Gender x Ethnicity interactions were observed, with Caucasian females endorsing higher rates of features of eating disorders and body image disturbances than African American and Latinõ American females. DISCUSSION: In adolescent psychiatric inpatients, although Caucasian females report the highest rates of the features of eating and body image disturbances, such concerns are not uncommon in males and in minorities.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Body image in middle school children.

The study purpose was to examine the relationship between sex, age, body mass index (BMI), and fitness level on the body image of 388 middle school children. Participants completed affective (social physique anxiety) and subjective evaluation (body dissatisfaction) body image measures and the 1-mile run/walk as an objective fitness measure. It was found that: (a) the females reported more social physique anxiety and body dissatisfaction than the males; (b) body dissatisfaction, especially for the females, was prevalent, (c) BMI was positively related to the body image measures; (d) for the males only, age was negatively related to the body image measures; (e) body dissatisfaction was negatively related to fitness levels; and (f) after controlling for BMI (and age for the males), fitness level was not a significant predictor of body dissatisfaction. The results indicate that body dissatisfaction was prevalent and early interventions with youth may be required.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2003

Actual and possible body-image self-schemas in young women with bulimic tendencies.

To examine whether information about body image is processed and cognitively organized around a self-concept, two experiments analyzed reaction time and memory for 48 young women with bulimic tendencies. Information was self-referencing to body shape vs trait words and information processing of adjectives referenced to "I dream of" and "I am afraid of" facets of self. Bulimic subjects encoded "fat" adjectives faster when these words were referenced to the present self. Reaction times were also faster to both "thin" and "fat" adjectives when these words were self-referenced to an "I dream of" and to an "I am afraid of" self, respectively. Processing of body-image information depended on which facet of self was activated rather than on the denotative meaning of the stimulus words. Memory for thin and fat adjectives was not related to preoccupation with body image or to which facet of the self was invoked. Findings suggest that an actual body-image schema and a possible body-image schema could coexist for bulimic persons. Such coexistence is necessary for a theory which posits knowledge structures might be dynamically related.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

The influence of ostomy surgery on body image in patients with cancer.

A one group repeated measures design was used to describe changes in body image in 45 patients treated with ostomy for bowel or bladder cancer. Body image was measured preoperatively and at two postoperative points: 1 month and in 6 months or postclosure. The Body Cathexis Scale, Draw-a-Person, and subjective responses to open-ended questions were used. There was a significant difference in Body Cathexis scores between the immediate 1 month postoperative period and 6 months later (F(2, 88) = 3.13, p = .049). Body image scores did not change significantly between the preostomy and first postostomy measures. Qualitative data suggested that cancer diagnosis and its associated concerns were paramount on subjects' minds preoperatively and thus negatively influenced body image before the creation of the ostomy. Although altered body image is an appropriate nursing diagnosis for patients with ostomy in both the preoperative and postoperative periods, other issues may be dominant especially in the preoperative period.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Brief report: assessment of body image in survivors of childhood cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To establish preliminary reliability and validity data of the Body Image Instrument (BII), a 28-item self-report measure developed to assess body image in adolescents and young adults with cancer. METHOD: As part of a larger study assessing long-term adjustment in survivors of childhood cancer, 40 males and 27 females (mean age = 19.69 years, SD = 3.87) completed the BII and two validation measures: the SF-36 health survey and the Perceived Illness Experience measure. RESULTS: The five BII subscales--General Appearance, Body Competence, Others' Reaction to Appearance, Value of Appearance, and Body Parts--exhibited moderate to high internal reliability and concurrent validity. No significant sex differences in body image emerged, nor was age at diagnosis or time since diagnosis significantly correlated with body image. CONCLUSIONS: The measure may be of value in clinical settings, where it could be used to identify adjustment problems related to body image disturbance in pediatric cancer patients.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2007

Acculturation and body image perception among Latino youth.

OBJECTIVES: Examine the prevalence and predictors of body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating among Latino youth. DESIGN: One hundred and sixty-seven Latino youth were surveyed as part of a tailored nutrition communication intervention. The youth's mean age was 12.81 years (SD = 2.74) and 54% were female. Mean self-rated health was 2.59 (SD = 1.02; range: 1 = good to 5 = poor), despite 70% reporting a desire to be thinner. Using age and gender-specific growth charts, 16% of the youth were classified as at risk for overweight and 34% were classified as overweight. RESULTS: Among adolescents, girls (p < or = 0.001), youth who were classified as at risk for or being overweight (p < or = 0.001), and who more strongly recognized and agreed with socially sanctioned standards of appearance as represented in the media (Standardized beta St. beta = 1.86, p < or = 0.001) were more dissatisfied with their body image (R(2) = 0.57). Among children, being at risk for or overweight (p < or = 0.001), reporting a stronger affiliation with the Mexican culture (St. beta = 0.84, p < or = 0.01) and stronger expectations that a healthy diet was associated with improved appearance (St. beta = 0.63, p < or = 0.05) predicted greater body image dissatisfaction (R(2) = 0.55). CONCLUSION: Interventions that address sociocultural attitudes toward appearance may be effective at reducing both the prevalence of body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating.

Acculturation↗

PubMed1998

Reversal of a body image disorder (macrosomatognosia) in Parkinson's disease by treatment with AC pulsed electromagnetic fields.

Macrosomatognosia refers to a disorder of the body image in which the patient perceives a part or parts of his body as disproportionately large. Macrosomatognosia has been associated with lesions in the parietal lobe, particularly the right parietal lobe, which integrates perceptual-sensorimotor functions concerned with the body image. It has been observed most commonly in patients with paroxysmal cerebral disorders such as epilepsy and migraine. The Draw-a-Person-Test has been employed in neuropsychological testing to identify disorders of the body image. Three fully medicated elderly Parkinsonian patients who exhibited, on the Draw-a-Person Test, macrosomatognosia involving the upper limbs are presented. In these patients spontaneous drawing of the figure of a man demonstrated disproportionately large arms. Furthermore, it was observed that the arm affected by tremor or, in the case of bilateral tremor, the arm showing the most severe tremor showed the greatest abnormality. This association implies that dopaminergic mechanisms influence neuronal systems in the nondominant right parietal lobe which construct the body image. After receiving a course of treatments with AC pulsed electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in the picotesla flux density applied transcranially, these patients' drawings showed reversal of the macrosomatognosia. These findings demonstrate that transcranial applications of AC pulsed EMFs affect the neuronal systems involved in the construction of the human body image and additionally reverse disorders of the body image in Parkinsonism which are related to right parietal lobe dysfunction.

Aged↗

PubMed1993

Body image of achondroplastic children before and after leg elongation.

Body image disturbance was studied in 6 achondroplastic children before and after surgical leg elongation (Wagner's procedure) using Fisher's Draw-a-Person Test and the Body Cathexis Test, as well as on another group of 6 achondroplastic children who had undergone the same procedure several years earlier. These groups were compared with 12 healthy control children. Gross disturbance of body image was present before the operation with a substantial improvement after the procedure. However, even years after the surgical procedure there still exists a difference in body image between the control-normal group and achondroplastic adolescents.

Achondroplasia↗

PubMed2000

Body image and eating restraint: a structural modeling analysis.

Body-image disturbance and its link with eating behaviors are poorly understood and controversial phenomena. The model proposed by Cash (1996) is perhaps the most unified current attempt to analyze this link. Its central features are a separation of historical and proximal influences and the link between body image emotions and adjustive, emotion regulating actions. This model, however, and in particular the link between body dissatisfaction and eating restraint have not been empirically tested. A series of different causal models for directly observed variables (LISREL 7) have therefore been used to determine the soundness of this link in a study of 130 female undergraduates. The goodness-of-fit of the models suggests that a causal link exists. It is clear that body image therapy should be combined with current treatments for obesity and eating disorders.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Body image in cystic fibrosis--development of a brief diagnostic scale.

For a number of reasons, body image is an important concept in behavioral medicine. First, it is known to be related to clinical phenomena such as poor self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. Second, body image has the potential to influence the patients' self-management and compliance motivation. Finally, body image can be improved through psychological and educative interventions. This study presents the development and validation of a brief, 8-item scale assessing attitudinal body image in patients with cystic fibrosis. A principal component analysis supported three domains represented by the items: evaluation/satisfaction, importance, and trust in physical functioning/health. The test-retest correlations ranged from 0.83 to 0.88, internal consistencies were above 0.70, except for the domain "importance" (alpha = 0.44). The scale scores differentiated between patients with mild and severe symptoms of the disease. Regression analyses identified body image as an important predictor of the patients' health-related quality of life. In summary, our results provide preliminary evidence for the reliability and construct, concurrent, and clinical validity of the instrument.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1996

Episiotomy and body image.

An episiotomy scar can be a source of altered body image. The size of the episiotomy scar may be disproportionate to the impact it has on a woman's body image. The use of the lithotomy position may add to the distress of a woman. Further research is needed to understand how an episiotomy scar may affect the way a woman perceives her own body image.

Body Image↗

PubMed2000

Body image assessment for obesity (BIA-O): development of a new procedure.

OBJECTIVE: A new measure of body image, named the body image assessment for obesity (BIA-O) was developed and tested for reliability and validity in a sample of 1,209 adult men and women. Separate BIA-O procedures were developed for men and women. Current, ideal and reasonable body image estimates of Caucasian and African-American men and women were compared. METHOD: Figural stimuli of males and females were developed for body sizes ranging from very thin to very obese in 18 increments. Participants selected figures that represented estimates of current, ideal and reasonable (a body size that could be maintained over time) body size. Some participants (n=641) also completed two measures of body dissatisfaction in a test of the validity of the BIA-O as a measure of body dissatisfaction. A sample of 77 participants was administered the BIA-O on two occasions to test the test-retest reliability of the BIA-O. RESULTS: The reliability of the BIA-O was supported by test-retest reliability coefficients which ranged from 0.65 to 0.93. Concurrent validity of the discrepancy between current and ideal and current and reasonable body size estimates was supported by positive correlations with two measures of body dissatisfaction. The BIA-O body size estimates of Caucasians and African-Americans, controlled for age and BMI, were compared. As BMI increased, Caucasian men and women were found to select larger current body size estimates in comparison to African-Americans. DISCUSSION: The reliability and validity of the BIA-O were supported. Greater body size dissatisfaction in obese Caucasians, relative to African-Americans of the same size, may be a function of biased estimates of current body size.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Male body image in Taiwan versus the West: Yanggang Zhiqi meets the Adonis complex.

OBJECTIVE: Body image disorders appear to be more prevalent in Western than non-Western men. Previous studies by the authors have shown that young Western men display unrealistic body ideals and that Western advertising seems to place an increasing value on the male body. The authors hypothesized that Taiwanese men would exhibit less dissatisfaction with their bodies than Western men and that Taiwanese advertising would place less value on the male body than Western media. METHOD: The authors administered a computerized test of body image to 55 heterosexual men in Taiwan and compared the results to those previously obtained in an identical study in the United States and Europe. Second, they counted the number of undressed male and female models in American versus Taiwanese women's magazine advertisements. RESULTS: In the body image study, the Taiwanese men exhibited significantly less body dissatisfaction than their Western counterparts. In the magazine study, American magazine advertisements portrayed undressed Western men frequently, but Taiwanese magazines portrayed undressed Asian men rarely. CONCLUSIONS: Taiwan appears less preoccupied with male body image than Western societies. This difference may reflect 1) Western traditions emphasizing muscularity and fitness as a measure of masculinity, 2) increasing exposure of Western men to muscular male bodies in media images, and 3) greater decline in traditional male roles in the West, leading to greater emphasis on the body as a measure of masculinity. These factors may explain why body dysmorphic disorder and anabolic steroid abuse are more serious problems in the West than in Taiwan.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Assessment of body image dissatisfaction in obese women: specificity, severity, and clinical significance.

This study assessed the specificity, severity, and clinical significance of body image dissatisfaction in 79 obese women using the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Examination--Self-Report (J. C. Rosen & J. Reiter, 1996). The vast majority of obese women demonstrated body image dissatisfaction related to their obesity, with almost half reporting the greatest dissatisfaction with their waist or abdomen. On average, they reported significantly more body image dissatisfaction than did 43 nonobese controls. The 2 groups did not differ on self-reported symptoms of depression or self-esteem. Body image dissatisfaction correlated significantly with reports of depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem but was not correlated with body mass index. Results are discussed in terms of the role of body image dissatisfaction in understanding and treating obese individuals.

Adult↗