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Updated: Oct 27, 2025

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
Published on: May 31, 2021
Internalization of body image as a potential mediator of the relationship between body acceptance by others and
Harley M Layman Ba1, Natalie G Keirns Ms1, Misty A W Hawkins PhD1
1Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA.
Objective:
To investigate the role of internalization of body image ideals as a potential mediator between perceived body acceptance and intuitive eating among college students.
Participants/Method:
168 undergraduates completed the Body Acceptance By Others Scale (BAOS), Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3; Internalization-Total and -General, -Athletic subscales), and Intuitive Eating Scale (IES).
Results:
Internalization-Total mediated the relationship between BAOS and IES (b=.19, p<.001). Internalization-General was a significant mediator of the BAOS-IES relationship (b=.14, p=.006), while Internalization-Athletic was not (p=.993). Post-hoc analyses stratified by gender followed similar patterns, aside from a negative but nonsignificant relationship between Internalization-Athletic and IES in men (b=-.16, p=.650).
Conclusions:
These data suggest that internalization of general (i.e., thin) body image ideals may be more destructive to body satisfaction and adaptive eating styles in college students than athletic-ideal internalization. More research is needed to examine the role of athletic-ideal internalization on body image and eating behaviors.
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