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Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
Published on: May 31, 2021
Feeling body dissatisfied after viewing thin-ideal pictures is mediated by self-activation
Elke Smeets1, Anita Jansen, Ellis Vossen
1Maastricht University, Department of Clinical Psychological Science, The Netherlands. elke.smeets@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Abstract:
The present study sought to investigate the influence of self-activation on body and weight satisfaction in restrained and unrestrained eaters, after exposure to thin-ideal images. Restrained eaters (n=39) and unrestrained eaters (n=40) were randomly assigned to a self-activation manipulation versus a control manipulation. After the manipulation, all participants were exposed to eight thin-ideal images. Measures of state body and weight satisfaction and of social comparison tendencies were assessed throughout the experiment. Self-activated restrained eaters showed a significant decrease in body and weight satisfaction after exposure to thin-ideal images, compared to restrained eaters who were not self-activated. In unrestrained eaters, the self-activation manipulation did not have any effect on body or weight dissatisfaction. In conclusion, exposure to fashion models only had a negative influence on women's self-evaluations when two conditions were met: (1) the participant was 'self-activated' and (2) the participant classified as a restrained eater.
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