The Relationship between Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorder Symptoms in Young Women Aspiring Fashion Models: The Mediating Role of Stress

Abstract

It is widely recognized that body dissatisfaction is an important public health concern. In the past, being a fashion model was almost synonymous with anorexia/bulimia, and even today, there are cases of eating disorders in young women whose ambition is to become a top model. Moreover, stress can play a substantial role within ill health via related behaviors such as smoking, substance abuse, and inappropriate eating. In our study, we examined 112 aspiring fashion models aged between 15 and 24 years (M = 19.5, SD = 2.08) from 32 different countries of the world during an international contest, and 100 students (control group), aged between 16 and 22 years (M = 18.6, SD = 1.39). The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine whether stress mediated the relationship between body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. The study included the administration of stress and self-efficacy and the locus of control dimensions, body (image) dissatisfaction, and eating attitude disorder. Results indicated higher scores on body dissatisfaction, stress level, and eating attitudes disorder among the group of fashion models compared to the control. Mediational analyses showed that body dissatisfaction was partially mediated by stress level on eating disorders. Especially in the aspiring fashion models, there are often many possibilities that competitive stress causes candidates to exacerbate attempts to maintain their body weight below normal weight/height parameters. These results indicated that appropriate intervention for the management of stress level could possibly defend against the negative impact of body dissatisfaction on eating disorder symptoms. The presence of skilled health workers in the field of nutrition and psychology can be extremely important in the field of fashion to maintain an adequate quality of life.

Eating disorders risk assessment in men who practice team sports

“…This over-representation in the clinical subsample could be justified by a higher pressure over the body due to the higher body exposition given by the participation in advertising campaigns. At the same time, the use of body edition techniques is common in the advertising field, which increases body dissatisfaction and the wish for the body shape shown in the images (49,(63)(64)(65). Body dissatisfaction could be higher when the economic interests of the sports club are linked to the advertising activities because this could imply a higher pressure on the selfbody and an increase in perceived stress (18).…”

Selected Health Behaviours of Girls Aged 14 to 19 Years and the Risk of Eating Disorders: A Pilot Study

“…3. Other authors [4] picked out similar behaviors associated with inappropriate eating among women, although the prevalence was lower: snacking during the day ( ̅ = 2.17; SD = 1.07), eating too little in the first half of the day and then too much in the second half of the day ( ̅ = 2.07; SD = 1.21), eating while doing other activities ( ̅ = 2.04; SD = 1.22). The results of both studies indicate that the girls' eating regularity is improper.…”

“…Health behaviors refer mainly to cognitive, behavioral and emotional components. They combine emotions, beliefs, and tendencies to behave positively or negatively, therefore their nature is very complex [4,5,12]. Health behavior is an integral component of the socialization process, which responds to the influence of different environments: family, school, peers, mass media and social media [16,25].…”

Sociodemographic Variables and Body Mass Index Associated with the Risk of Eating Disorders in Spanish University Students

“…Aspects such as feeling bloated after eating a normal amount of food are common features among people who feel dissatisfied with their own bodies [ 11 , 27 , 28 ]. Given that body dissatisfaction is endemic among young women in Western cultures it cannot be concluded that this construct alone causes EDs.…”

“…Given that body dissatisfaction is endemic among young women in Western cultures it cannot be concluded that this construct alone causes EDs. However, it is a risk factor responsible for the initiation and maintenance of extreme weight control behaviors that lead to the development of EDs in those who are vulnerable [ 5 , 11 , 28 ].…”