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Updated: May 30, 2026
04:48
Control of Eating Behavior Using a Novel Feedback System
Published on: May 8, 2018
Accounting for fluctuations in body dissatisfaction.
Lauren A Colautti1, Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Helen Skouteris
1School of Psychology, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia.
Body Image
|August 16, 2011
Summary
Individual differences in body shame influence how social context and mood affect body dissatisfaction. Understanding these traits can help prevent body image disturbances.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Body Image Research
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Body dissatisfaction is a significant issue linked to various individual traits.
- Contextual cues like social presence and mood can impact immediate feelings about one's body.
- Understanding how personal traits moderate these effects is crucial for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if individual differences in body shame, surveillance, appearance internalization, and trait affect moderate the link between contextual cues (company, mood) and state body dissatisfaction.
- To identify specific trait vulnerabilities that amplify the impact of social and emotional contexts on body image.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-five undergraduate women completed trait measures (body shame, surveillance, internalization, trait affect).
- Participants used a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) for 7 days, self-reporting mood and state body dissatisfaction six times daily.
- Multi-level modeling was employed to analyze the data.
Main Results:
- Body shame significantly predicted variability in how the presence of company and positive mood related to state body dissatisfaction.
- Trait positive affect also explained variance in the relationship between positive mood and state body dissatisfaction.
- These findings highlight the moderating role of specific individual difference variables.
Conclusions:
- Body shame is a key vulnerability factor influencing the impact of social and emotional contexts on state body dissatisfaction.
- Interventions targeting body shame may be effective in preventing body image disturbances.
- Individual differences play a critical role in the dynamic interplay between context and body image.
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