The role of body shame, social appearance anxiety, and body checking behavior on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors [Elektronische Ressource] : a cross-cultural study in Germany and Korea / vorgelegt von Nayeong Ko

Ko

Sujets

• Psychologie

Informations

• Publié par: albert-ludwigs-universitat_freiburg
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 33
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Role of Body Shame,
Social Appearance Anxiety,
and Body Checking Behavior
on Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating Behaviors:
A Cross-Cultural Study in Germany and Korea




Inaugural-Dissertation
zur
Erlangung der Doktorwürde
der Wirtschafts- und Verhaltenswissenschaftlichen Fakultät
der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. i. Br.





vorgelegt von

Nayeong Ko
aus Wonju, Republic of Korea

SS 2010


























Dekan: Prof. Dr. Dieter K. Tscheulin

1. Gutachterin: Prof. Dr. Brunna Tuschen-Caffier
2. Gutachterin: Prof. Dr. Gabriele Lucius-Hoene

Datum des Promotionsbeschlusses: 16. 12. 2010
Abstract

This cross-cultural study compared levels of body mass, body shame, body checking
behavior, social appearance anxiety, body dissatisfaction and disordered eating
behaviors of 350 German college students (266 females and 84 males) with 460 Korean
college students (324 females and 136 males). In addition, roles of body shame, social
appearance anxiety and body checking behavior were investigated as to how they relate
to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors of German and Korean subjects.
Instruments for the examinations were: Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), Body
Checking Questionnaire (BCQ), Eating Disorder Inventory 2 (EDI-2), Social
Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS), Body Shame subscale of the Objectified Body
Consciousness Scale (OBCS), Body Shame subscale of the Weight- and Body-Related
Shame and Guilt Scale (WEB-SG) and Symptom Check List-90 R (SCL-90 R).
German females had significantly higher levels of Body Mass Index (BMI) than
Korean females, while the BMI levels of males of both countries were not remarkably
different. Korean females and males reported significantly higher levels of body shame,
body checking behavior, social appearance anxiety, body dissatisfaction and disordered
eating behaviors than German females and males. Variables of body shame, social
appearance anxiety, body dissatisfaction, body checking behavior and disordered eating
behaviors were positively associated. In particular, body dissatisfaction and disordered
eating behaviors showed high correlations between females and males from both
countries. In addition, Korean participants reported significantly higher levels on the
SCL-90 R than German participants.
Based on the structural equation model testing, body dissatisfaction led to body
shame which predicted bulimia symptoms in both German females and Korean females.
However, body shame did not predict drive for thinness in either female group.
Moreover, the structural pathway from body checking behavior through body
dissatisfaction, body shame and social appearance anxiety to bulimia symptoms was
only statistically convincing in German females. In the Korean female subjects this
same pathway model from body checking behavior to body dissatisfaction, body shame
and social appearance anxiety leading to bulimia symptoms was not convincing and
imight be due to other interactions. Thus, body shame proved to be a predictor of body
dissatisfaction and bulimia symptoms in both female groups, while body checking
behavior and social appearance anxiety were shown to play different roles between
German women and Korean women in the current study. Body checking behavior and
social appearance anxiety may have different meanings or functions in each culture.
The current study was limited by the small sample size of males in both countries;
therefore, the structural equation model test could not be examined for male groups.
Additionally, the sample consisted of non-clinical college students with self-report
measures. Therefore, further studies are needed in order to evaluate the functions of
body shame or other factors in males and then compare the clinical samples of Germany
and Korea with one another.




















iiTable of Contents

Abstract .............................................................................................................................. i
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ iii
List of Tables .................................................................................................................... v
List of Figures .................................................................................................................. vi
1. Introduction1
2. Theoretical Background ............................................................................................... 4
2.1. Eating Disorders .................................................................................................... 4
2.1.1. Prevalence of Eating Disorders ...................................................................... 4
2.1.2. Development and Maintenance of Eating Disorders ...................................... 5
2.1.3. Body Dissatisfaction ....................................................................................... 8
2.1.4. Body Checking Behavior ............................................................................. 12
2.1.5. Body Shame in Eating Disorders.................................................................. 14
2.1.5.1. General Shame14
2.1.5.2. Shame and Body Shame in Eating Disorders ........................................ 15
2.1.6. Social Appearance Anxiety in Eating Disorders .......................................... 17
2.1.7. Relationship between Body Shame and Social Appearance Anxiety .......... 20
2.1.8. Summary ....................................................................................................... 21
2.2. Cross-Cultural Study ........................................................................................... 22
2.2.1. Culture and Self ............................................................................................ 22
2.2.2. Differences between Individualism and Collectivism .................................. 23
2.2.3. Goal of Cross-Cultural Study ....................................................................... 25
2.3. Cross-Cultural Studies in Eating Disorders ......................................................... 27
2.3.1. Cross-Cultural Studies on Eating Disorders ................................................. 27
2.3.2. Cross-Cultural Studies on Body Dissatisfaction .......................................... 30
2.3.3. Males from Diverse Ethnic Groups .............................................................. 31
2.3.4. Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorders among East Asians .................. 32
2.3.5. Influential Factors of Body Dissatisfaction and Eating Disorders in non-
Western Ethnic Groups ........................................................................................... 34
2.3.6. Germans and Koreans of Eating Disorders .................................................. 36
iii2.3.7. Summary ....................................................................................................... 38
3. Hypotheses ................................................................................................................. 40
4. Methods ...................................................................................................................... 44
4.1. Participants and Procedures ................................................................................. 44
4.2. Measures .............................................................................................................. 45
4.2.1. Body Mass Index .......................................................................................... 45
4.2.2. Disordered Eating Behaviors ........................................................................ 45
4.2.3. Body Dissatisfaction ..................................................................................... 46
4.2.4. Body Checking Behavior ............................................................................. 47
4.2.5. Body Shame .................................................................................................. 47
4.2.6. Social Appearance Anxiety .......................................................................... 48
4.2.7. Psychological Symptoms .............................................................................. 49
4.3. Data Analyses ...................................................................................................... 50
5. Results ........................................................................................................................ 52
5.1. Sample Description ............................................................................................. 52
5.2. Means and Standard Deviations .......................................................................... 55
5.3. Description of the SCL-90 R .................................................................