1

Beth KlingamanUniversity of Maryland—College Park

A Bioecological Perspective on Body Image: What Does

Culture Have To Do With It?

2

Eating Disorders – Key Trends

Eating disorders in the United States: over 8 million people

under-researched, under-funded, and under-reported

From 1935 to 1989: significant increase in eating disorders, especially among

young women (15-24 years old)

Almost half of newly identified cases of anorexia are in: females 15-19 years old

3

Of those who develop eating disorders, at what age is onset?

4

A Big Risk: Body Dissatisfaction

What puts women at risk for eating disorders? body dissatisfaction and preoccupation neuroticism and body surveillance

Over one-half of teenage girls use at least one of: skipping meals fasting smoking cigarettes vomiting taking laxatives

Body preoccupation occurs as young as: Five years old Exacerbated by increased media awareness of obesity

5

Presentation Outline

How does body dissatisfaction relate to culture among Latina women? Bioecological theory of development Culture Body dissatisfaction among Latina women State of the research on body image and culture

among Latina women Improving on past research with data on:

- acculturation, enculturation, and social anxiety as related to body dissatisfaction- exploratory analysis of media

6

7

Background on culture

Culture: evolving and shared system of meaning which provides value and context through ideology, values, beliefs, roles, history, and social norms.

Acculturation: modification of customs, habits, language usage, lifestyle, and value orientations when faced with a dominant (or host) culture.

Enculturation: one’s adherence to the customs and values of one’s native culture.

Both processes are experienced to some degree by all immigrants.

8

Background on culture (continued)

9

Why assess body image among Latin-American women?

Rapidly changing population demographics.

Latinos: largest minority group in the United States.

Latinas: rising body dissatisfaction and eating disorders.

10

Latinas: Body Image and Culture

Silhouette drawings given to Latinas and Caucasian women:

Latinas: larger ideal body shapes.

Latinas: more body satisfaction.

Perhaps Latino culture emphasizes a larger and more realistic ideal body size than does American culture.

11

Latinas: Body Image and Culture (continued)

Cross cultural research:

12

Latinas: Body Image and Culture (continued)

Theory: acculturation thinner, more stringent, ideal body sizes

Acculturated Latinas vs. unacculturated Latinas

Generation status as a proxy for acculturation

13

Latinas: Body Image and Culture (continued)

So, being Latina means you are protected from body image concerns?

No . . .

14

Latinas: Body Image and Culture (continued)

Considering these mixed results, is there a meaningful relation between body image and acculturation for Latina women?

15

State of the research on acculturation and body image among Latina

women Mixed results

Confusion of terms

Vague and inconsistent use of term “body image”

Limited research on social aspects of body image

16

Improving on past research, the current study aims to:

Assess both acculturation and enculturation

Use a specific measure of “body image” which taps one’s anxiety about one’s body in social situations.

17

Statement of Hypotheses: among young adult (18-25 year old) Latina

women: Acculturation will correlate positively with Social

Physique Anxiety.

18

Statement of Hypotheses: among young adult (18-25 year old) Latina

women: Enculturation will correlate negatively with

Social Physique Anxiety.

19

Statement of Hypotheses: among young adult (18-25 year old) Latina

women: Enculturation will moderate the previously hypothesized relation between

acculturation and Social Physique Anxiety, such that the expected positive relation between acculturation and Social Physique Anxiety will be reduced for individuals who have high enculturation.

20

Participants

58 Latina women

Age: 18 to 58 years (M = 32.53, SD = 12.07)

All participants characterized their race as only Hispanic or Latina.

Most were the first in their families to come to the U.S.

21

Measures

Demographic measure

Abbreviated Multidimensional Acculturation Scale (AMAS-ZABB) measures both acculturation and enculturation (cultural identity, cultural and language competence).

Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS)

Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (B-FNE) measure the extent to which individuals feel apprehensive in evaluative situations.

22

23

Relation between Acculturation and Fear of Negative Evaluation

24

Relation between Enculturation and Social Physique Anxiety

25

26

Results Bilinear process of acculturation

Role of enculturation

Role of identifying oneself as “Latina”

Rather, degree of association with Latino culture

27

Exploratory Media Analysis

Latina women who read U.S. American fashion magazines were significantly higher on social physique anxiety than those who did not read U.S. American fashion magazines.

In contrast, those who read Hispanic fashion magazines did not differ in social physique anxiety from those who did not read Hispanic fashion magazines.

28

Implications

Replication of previous research among specific population.

Treatment: investigate importance of Latino culture.

Does enculturation cause lower social physique anxiety? Does social physique anxiety somehow influence enculturation, or does a third variable impact both?

29

Limitations

Restricted range of enculturation scores

Focus on younger adult women

Lack of measurement and control for body mass index

30

Next Steps?

Recruit from multiple cultural groups.

Recruit with attention to possible restricted range.

Assess body mass index.

Assess among most vulnerable age. Particular attention to identity issues.

Add complexity by testing path model.

31

32

Phan and Tylka (2006) modelwith social physique anxiety as body preoccupation

with ethnic identity split into commitment and exploration

they proposed partial mediation

33

Phan and Tylka (2006) modelwith social physique anxiety as body preoccupation

with ethnic identity split into commitment and exploration

they found full mediation – will there be partial mediation or full?

34

Phan and Tylka (2006) modelwith social physique anxiety as body preoccupation

with ethnic identity split into commitment and exploration

with hypothesized full mediation

35

Alternative Model

An alternative model (adding BMI and a measure of social anxiety) will also be tested separately among female college students of African American, Caucasian, and Asian American racial groups.

Overall, BMI will negatively correlate with measures of mental health.

36

Partial mediation with added BMI and Social Anxiety

37

A test of mediation with added BMI and Social Anxiety

38

Full mediation with added BMI and Social Anxiety

39

40

41

View from the perspective of bio-ecological theories:

Body Objectification Theory

Society: Sexual objectification

Women: Internalized body objectification of weight, shape, or

size

Body monitoring Appearance anxiety Depression

Anxiety

Eating disorders, etc.

42

View from the perspective of bio-ecological theories:

Dual Pathway Model

Sociocultural pressure for thinness

Internalized pressure for thinness Body dissatisfaction

Negative affect

Eating disorders and other symptoms of poor mental health

and well-being