The influence of sociocultural factors on body image: A meta-analysis.

Abstract

Various factors have been implicated in the development of body image dissatisfaction. Especially important are three constructs: awareness of a thin ideal, internalization of a thin ideal, and perceived pressures to be thin. Using meta‐analysis, we calculated the strength of the relationships between each of these constructs and body image, and we evaluated the differences in magnitude across the average effect sizes. We also tested the moderating effects of age and ethnicity, and we compared the average effect sizes with those from meta‐analyses of prospective and experimental studies in order to determine whether the effect sizes differed by study design. The results indicated the following: all three sociocultural factors had statistically significant relationships with body image; internalization and perceived pressures have a significantly stronger relationship to body image than does awareness; the effect sizes from cross‐sectional studies were significantly larger than those of both longitudinal and experimental studies; and neither age nor ethnicity was a statistically significant moderator of the relationship between awareness and body image or that between internalization and body image. In this article, we discuss the limitations and implications of the findings on future research, theory, and clinical application.

Internalization of Appearance Ideals and Cosmetic Surgery Attitudes: A Test of the Tripartite Influence Model of Body Image

“…Cronbach's alpha for the composite of the two subscales was 0.95 for females and .94 for males in the present study. Validity for this measure has been demonstrated in a variety of studies, including a meta-analysis (Cafri et al 2005;Thompson et al in press).…”

Development and validation of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4).

“…According to the tripartite influence model, this constant social reinforcement of prominent appearance ideals encourages each individual to internalize the relevant appearance ideal (Cafri et al, 2005). Internalization refers to the degree to which an individual "buys into" socially-prescribed appearance ideals, expresses a desire to attain the appearance ideal, and engages in behaviors aimed at meeting those ideals (Thompson et al, 1999;Thompson & Stice, 2001).…”

“…In sum, peers, family, and the media are each powerful purveyors of potentially harmful messages regarding shape, weight, and the need to achieve an ideal figure. While both males and females are recipients of sociocultural messages regarding appearance, females may be more often targeted and more negatively impacted than males.According to the tripartite influence model, this constant social reinforcement of prominent appearance ideals encourages each individual to internalize the relevant appearance ideal (Cafri et al, 2005). Internalization refers to the degree to which an individual "buys into" socially-prescribed appearance ideals, expresses a desire to attain the appearance ideal, and engages in behaviors aimed at meeting those ideals (Thompson et al, 1999;Thompson & Stice, 2001).…”

“…Consequently, body image concerns for women generally center on issues of DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF THE SATAQ-4 8 weight, adioposity, and a desire to be thinner Dunn et al, 2010;Field et al, 1999;Striegel-Moore & Franko, 2002), while body image concerns for males tend to center on a desire to have a lower percentage of body fat and greater muscularity (Cafri, Strauss, & Thompson, 2002;Pope, Phillips, & Olivardia, 2000; Thompson & Cafri, 2007). Researchers have posited internalization of the thin-ideal as a risk factor for body dissatisfaction and eating pathology among women (Thompson & Stice, 2001); prospective studies and meta-analytic reviews support this hypothesis (Cafri et al, 2005;Stice, 2002;Stice & Agras, 1998). While male body image has received considerably less research attention, extant studies indicate that internalization of the muscular-ideal is significantly associated with increased body dissatisfaction, negative affect, and unhealthy behaviors aimed at increasing muscle size (Karazsia & Crowther, 2008;Thompson et al, 2012).…”

Physical disgust, germ aversion and antifat attitudes: the mediational effect of perceived controllability of weight

“…This result may be explained by the sociocultural differences about thinness internalization found between women and men. For example, it has been found that women, in contrast to men, prefer a slimmer body type (see for a meta-analysis: Cafri, Yamamiya, Brannick, & Thompson, 2005). Given that disgust reactions tend to enforce social norms, this could also explain the link between physical disgust and antifat attitudes (Lieberman et al, 2012).…”