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The relationship between body image dissatisfaction and psychological health: an exploration of body image in young adult men

Bergeron, Derek Paul

Abstract Details

2007, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Psychology.
This study examined the relationship between body dissatisfaction and psychological health. Several scholars have suggested that body image is an increasingly relevant issue for men. However, limitations in current measurement make it unclear how meaningful such findings are. Furthermore, few extant studies in the general body image literature have examined the role of positive psychological coping variables. Therefore, this study sought to examine the relationship between body dissatisfaction and psychological health. It was hypothesized that body dissatisfaction would be positively correlated with symptoms of psychological distress, and negatively correlated with indices of positive psychological adjustment. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that the indices of positive psychological adjustment (satisfaction with life, proactive coping, hardiness, and optimism) would moderate, or buffer, the relationship between body dissatisfaction and the indicators of psychological distress (depression, symptom reports, self esteem). It was also hypothesized that the Male Body Attitudes Scale, a new measure of body dissatisfaction in men, would demonstrate adequate reliability and validity. In this study, 368 male participants recruited from an introductory psychology class took ten measures, including the General Health Questionairre-28 and the Psychological Hardiness Scale. Participants also completed a demographics questionnaire. Correlational analysis was used to examine the hypothesis regarding the relationship between body dissatisfaction and the psychological health indices, and hierarchical moderated regression analysis was used to examine the buffering hypothesis. Furthermore, MANOVA was used to assess the demographic variables, and ANOVA was utilized to test for order effects. Maximum likelihood analysis was utilized to impute missing data values. The first main hypothesis of this study, that body image dissatisfaction would be positively related to indices of psychological distress, and negatively related to indicators of positive psychological adjustment, was supported. The second main hypothesis of this study, that the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and indices of psychological distress would be moderated by the indicators of positive psychological adjustment, was not supported overall. The reliability of the MBAS overall scale and its three subscales, as well as the convergent and concurrent validity of these scales, was supported. These results support the practical significance of body image for men.
Don Dell (Advisor)
126 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Bergeron, D. P. (2007). The relationship between body image dissatisfaction and psychological health: an exploration of body image in young adult men [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1183499977

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Bergeron, Derek. The relationship between body image dissatisfaction and psychological health: an exploration of body image in young adult men. 2007. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1183499977.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Bergeron, Derek. "The relationship between body image dissatisfaction and psychological health: an exploration of body image in young adult men." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1183499977

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)