The moderating effects of race and ethnicity on the relationship between body image and psychological well-being

Citation

Evans, Candace M. (2016). The moderating effects of race and ethnicity on the relationship between body image and psychological well-being. ICPSR.

Abstract

Body image is particularly salient amongst adolescent females, whose innate desire for self-comprehension is mingled with the rapid maturations and changes of puberty. Although existing literature points to marked differences across racial ethnic groups in terms of what is considered the ideal female body type, little is known as to how these variances are psychologically internalized and manifested across groups. Through the analyses of secondary data collected by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, the present study investigates the relationships between several dimensions of body image and psychological well-being within a sample of adolescent females. Results indicate the relationship between feeling overweight and low self-esteem to be stronger in Latinas than in whites or blacks. Latinas also demonstrated a stronger relationship between feeling underweight and low self-esteem compared to blacks, for whom a lot/whole lot of perceived changes in curviness were related to high self-esteem. Finally, compared to the other racial-ethnic groups, changes in breast size were strongly correlated with low self-esteem and high depressive affect for Asians girls.

URL

http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/files/membership/publications/bulletin/2016-special.pdf

Reference Type

Report

Book Title

ICPSR Bulletin

Author(s)

Evans, Candace M.

Editor(s)

Knight-Ingram, Dory

Year Published

2016

Volume Number

Pages

3-25

Edition

Special Edition

Publisher

ICPSR

Reference ID

7840