Demographic predictors of objectification theory and tripartite influence model constructs: The U.S. Body Project I

David A Frederick; Eva Pila; Vanessa L Malcarne; Emilio J Compte; Jason M Nagata; Cassidy R Best; Catherine P Cook-Cottone; Tiffany A Brown; Lexie Convertino; Canice E Crerand; Michael C Parent; Jamie-Lee Pennesi; Marisol Perez; Rachel F Rodgers; Lauren M Schaefer; J Kevin Thompson; Tracy L Tylka; Stuart B Murray

doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.12.012

Demographic predictors of objectification theory and tripartite influence model constructs: The U.S. Body Project I

Body Image. 2022 Mar:40:182-199. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.12.012. Epub 2021 Dec 28.

Authors

David A Frederick¹, Eva Pila², Vanessa L Malcarne³, Emilio J Compte⁴, Jason M Nagata⁵, Cassidy R Best⁶, Catherine P Cook-Cottone⁷, Tiffany A Brown⁸, Lexie Convertino⁹, Canice E Crerand¹⁰, Michael C Parent¹¹, Jamie-Lee Pennesi³, Marisol Perez¹², Rachel F Rodgers¹³, Lauren M Schaefer¹⁴, J Kevin Thompson¹⁵, Tracy L Tylka¹⁶, Stuart B Murray¹⁷

Affiliations

¹ Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA. Electronic address: dfrederi@chapman.edu.
² School of Kinesiology, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
³ Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
⁴ School of Psychology, Adolfo Ibáñez University, Santiago, Chile; Research Department, Comenzar de Nuevo Treatment Center, Monterrey, Mexico.
⁵ Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁶ Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA.
⁷ Department of Counseling, School, and Educational Psychology, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA.
⁸ Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
⁹ San Diego State University/University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA; Center for Biobehavioral Health, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
¹¹ Department of Educational Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
¹² Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
¹³ APPEAR, Department of Applied Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatric Emergency & Acute Care, Lapeyronie Hospital, CHRU Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
¹⁴ Sanford Center for Bio-behavioral Research, Fargo, ND, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, FL, USA.
¹⁶ Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
¹⁷ Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Abstract

We examined how demographic factors (gender, sexual orientation, racial group, age, body mass) were linked to measures of sociocultural appearance concerns derived from objectification theory and the tripartite influence model (McKinley & Hyde, 1996; Schaefer et al., 2015) among 11,620 adults. Men were less likely than women to report high body surveillance, thin-ideal internalization, appearance-related media pressures, and family pressures; did not differ in peer pressures; and reported greater muscle/athletic internalization. Both men and women expressed greater desire for their bodies to look "very lean" than to look "very thin". Compared to gay men, heterosexual men reported lower body surveillance, thin-ideal internalization, peer pressures, and media pressures. Black women reported lower thin-ideal internalization than White, Hispanic, and Asian women, whereas Asian women reported greater family pressures. Being younger and having higher BMIs were associated with greater sociocultural appearance concerns across most measures. The variation in prevalence of sociocultural appearance concerns across these demographic groups highlights the need for interventions.

Keywords: Body image; Gender; Objectification theory; Sexual orientation; Tripartite influence model.

MeSH terms

Adult
Body Image* / psychology
Demography
Female
Gender Identity*
Heterosexuality
Humans
Male
Peer Influence

Abstract

MeSH terms

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