目的:探讨社会比较和社会支持对女性负面身体自我的影响.方法:通过班级集体施测的方法,采用负面身体自 我量表(胖维度)(NPSS-F)、社会支持问卷(MSPSS)和身体外貌比较问卷(PACS)对980名12～22岁女性青少年进行调查(初中组295 人,高中组381人,大学组304人),同时搜集被试的体重、身高等人口学资料.结果:高中生负面身体自我胖维度量表评分高于初中生 (13.5±9.3/11.0±9.0,P＜0.001),大学生评分为12.3±8.8.身体外貌比较问卷评分大学高于高中和初中(13.2±3.3 /12.4±3.6/11.5±3.5,P＜0.001),肥胖组学生的NPSS-F评分大于体重正常和消瘦组(20.7±10.5/12.7±8.4 /5.4±6.3,F=93.2,P=0.01).女性负面身体自我胖维度与社会比较呈弱相关(r＝0.26,P＜0.01),与社会支持的相关不显著. 方差分析表明,社会比较对女性负面身体自我胖维度有显著性影响(F＝5.26,P＜ 0.01),而社会支持无显著性影响,社会比较和社会支持之间无交互作用.回归分析表明,社会比较对女性负面身体自我胖维度有显著性影响 (F=67.66,P=0.00＜0.01).结论:社会比较是女性负面身体自我的影响因素之一,而社会支持无显著性影响.

现代男性对自身体型的关注程度日益升高,理想体型也发生变化,从单一的肌肉发达体型发展为低体脂高肌肉的双维度体型。影响男性理想体型的因素主要分为两类：生物因素和社会文化因素。生物因素方面,不同性别、年龄和性取向的群体拥有不同的男性理想体型;社会文化方面,社会文化通过家庭、同伴和媒体三个渠道向理想体型施加影响。未来的研究应该进一步通过实验确立体脂与肌肉双维度的男性理想体型,并结合纵向研究验证生物及社会文化因素的影响,完善男性理想体型的理论系统,为政府制定身体意象相关的干预措施和政策提供详实有力的理论依据。

目的:阐述女性身体意象的影响因素以及女性为什么会追求瘦身,并分析导致身体不满意的心理学原因。资料来源:应用计算机检索ProQuest数据库(PsychologyJournals)1995-01/2005-12中与理想身体相关的文献,检索词“idealbodyimage,idealphysicalself”。资料选择:从资料中选取与女性理想身体有关的文献,纳入条件:①包括实验研究文章和综述文章。②与理想身体相关的文章。排除与女性理想身体无关的文献及文献中的重复性研究。资料提炼:共收集到83篇与理想身体相关的英文文章,排除重复文献、重复性研究以及相关度较低的文章后,选择32篇文献进行综述。资料综合:女性普遍追求瘦身,关心体质量和身体意象。负面身体意象与大量的心理问题有关。理想身体意象主要受到媒体、家庭和同伴的影响。理想身体意象意味成功,而自我现实身体可以改变,经过努力可以获得文化定义的理想体质量和体型。但媒体所塑造的理想身体与他所代表的文化有关,应理解身体意象的主流和特殊文化适应性,不能盲目崇拜。社会瘦身标准的内化将导致对身体不满、高估自己的身体大小、导致负面影响、压抑和饮食障碍行为。外界因素对身体意象可以产生很大的影响,但个人才是决定这种影响最终实现的关键。健康的身体意象是可以选择的。为拥有健康的身体意象可以通过培养自己的高自尊以增加对身体的接受。结论:身体意象的主流和特殊文化适应性说明女性不必追求瘦身,不必对自己的身体感到不满意,不必进行减肥以达到社会认同的理想瘦身标准。通过对社会瘦身标准的内化和培养高自尊可以引导健康的身体意象。

Recently, body image disturbances are growing prevalent among males, and the mass media has been considered as a significant factor that influence how people feel and think about their bodies. Recent research has demonstrated the negative effects of media on the cognition, feelings (or emotion) and behaviors of males. Based on the sociocultural theory, researchers developed the tripartite influence model to explain the underlying mechanisms of the media influence on males body image (Thompson, Heinberg, Altabe, & Tantleff-Dunn, 1999). In this model, three influences (peers, parents, and media) are thought to have a direct effect on body image dissatisfaction as well as indirect effects through two mediational processes: appearance comparison and internalization of ultra-thin and muscular body ideals for women and men, respectively. Future research is needed to assess generalization to diverse samples, combine experimental manipulations with longitudinal study, consider the influence of other variables, enrich and expand the tripartite influence model, and use neuroimaging technology to investigate neural mechanism. In addition, research about prevention and intervention is also needed to reduce the body image disturbance among males.

身体意象失调在女性群体中非常普遍,社交网站被认为是一种重要的影响因素。梳理其作用机制,对女性身体意象失调的预防和干预有重要意义。研究表明,社交网站使用对女性身体意象的认知、情感体验和行为维度都存在消极影响,主要表现为自我客体化、追求苗条、身体不满意、身体监视、节食、进食障碍等。研究者从外貌比较和瘦理想内化的角度对社交网站使用影响女性身体意象失调的作用机制进行了阐释。未来研究可以关注被试群体多样化,加强实验研究并关注社交网站对相貌满意度的影响,还可尝试从其他理论角度进行解释,以使作用机制更加明确。

ongitudinal research designs on effects of fat talk and broadening the standard research methods.

目的:从社会文化、个体两个方 面分析影响饮食失调的各种因素,并展望未来的研究方向。资料来源:应用计算机检索ProQuest数据库 (PsychologyJournals)1995-01/2005-08和EBSCOhost数据库1995-01/2005-08中与饮食失调影响因 素相关的文献,检索词“eatingdisorders,riskfactors”,并限定语言种类为英文。资料选择:从资料中选取与饮食失调影响因素相 关度高的文献。纳入条件:①包括实验研究和综述文章。②饮食失调因果性风险因素的相关研究。排除标准:①两个数据库的重复文献。②文献中的重复研究。资料 提炼:共收集到80篇关于饮食失调影响因素分析方面的英文文章,排除重复文献、重复研究以及相关度较低的文章后,纳入32篇,21篇用于综述,其中有关社 会因素13篇,有关个体因素8篇。资料综合:全球化的瘦理想趋势形成瘦的社会压力,是饮食失调的一个背景性影响因素。社会不公正和同伴本身的饮食失调行为 导致个体易出现身体不满意和身体投资,而此投资就可能造成饮食失调。家庭氛围和父母教养方式、家庭的社会经济地位对饮食失调也有一定影响。饮食失调具有生 理基础,是可以遗传的。当个体通过节食来控制自己的体质量提高身体满意度的过程中易形成饮食失调。抑郁和焦虑等消极情绪、对外貌重要性的过高评估、完美主 义也是饮食失调的影响因素。结论:造成个体饮食失调的原因是多方面的,可从社会、家庭、同伴、个体中的一个或多个的角度来分析饮食失调的影响因素。

近年来,从社会网络视角考察同伴关系与心理健康的相互作用正成为发展心理学和健康心理学研究的热点。研究者多借助整体网和纵向数据,通过两种作用机制,即选择过程(selection process)(强调心理和行为变量对社会网络和同伴关系的影响,如关系的形成、维持和解除)和影响过程(influence process)(强调社会网络和同伴关系对心理和行为变量的影响),来分析同伴关系与心理健康协同演进的动态过程。实证研究关注的领域集中在青少年健康风险行为(如吸烟、喝酒、药物滥用)和情绪问题(如抑郁、焦虑、孤独感)。未来研究应该注重拓展社会网络的类型和样本、加强理论建构、增加对积极心理和消极关系的研究,并有望在互联网领域及社会网络的生物学基础等方面取得进展。

Evidence suggests that the prevalence of body dissatisfaction (BD) is increasing amongst men. However, research has commonly examined the phenomenon in predominantly female groups. In view of this, the current study used a qualitative methodology to explore the experience of BD in men. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 men. The data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Analysis yielded themes across four domains (societal, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and social presentation). Whilst participants exhibited a range of appearance concerns, there was commonality in the processes by which these were experienced and managed. These generic issues are the focus of the themes, and could usefully be incorporated into a new assessment tool. Findings are considered in relation to existing (cognitive behavioural, self-discrepancy, and sociocultural) theories, and implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

The present study tested whether theoretically derived risk factors predicted increases in body dissatisfaction and whether gender moderated these relations with data from a longitudinal study of 428 adolescent girls and boys because few prospective studies have examined these aims, despite evidence that body dissatisfaction increases risk for various psychiatric disturbances. Body dissatisfaction showed significant increases for girls and significant decreases for boys during early adolescence. For both genders, parental support deficits, negative affectivity, and self-reported dietary restraint showed significant relations to future increases in body dissatisfaction. Ideal body internalization and body mass index did not demonstrate significant relations to future increases in body dissatisfaction; peer support deficits showed a marginal relation to this outcome. Gender did not moderate these relations, despite adequate power to detect interactive effects.

The strength of the bodies of literature was moderate for factors associated with AN and BN outcomes and weak for BED. 08 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2007

Bulimic symptoms are fairly common among adolescent girls, and the dual pathway model outlines one possible etiological chain leading to bulimic symptoms. The present study seeks to longitudinally examine the pathways proposed by this model while focusing on the relative contribution of parents and peers (via direct encouragement or pressure to be thin and indirect discussion of dieting). Four years of self-report data were collected from 85 early adolescent girls during fifth through eighth grades. Results indicated that mothers, fathers, and peers each played an important role in the development of girls' bulimic symptoms by affecting their body dissatisfaction, which was related to later dieting behaviors, depressive symptoms, and bulimic symptoms. Furthermore, results suggested that peers were a stronger influence than mothers and fathers. The authors conclude that both parents and peers play important roles in girls' development of bulimic symptoms, and future work should

PurposeTo assess the roles of a neighborhood measure of social capital, family affluence, and risk taking on adolescent self-rated health.MethodsThis study uses data from the 2384 Canadian students in Grades 9 10 (56.5% female) from the World Health Organization's Health Behavior in School-Aged Children Survey 2001/2002, a nationwide representative sample.ResultsUsing binary logistic regression models, it is found that higher levels of risk taking and lower levels of neighborhood social capital and family affluence are independently associated with worse overall perceptions of health. These influences are not found to interact with each other.ConclusionsNeighborhood social capital, risk taking, and family affluence are important factors to consider when addressing the health of adolescents. Results are discussed in terms of possible health promoting interventions.

Abstract In various investigations of the effects of the similarity of a stranger's attitude on attraction toward him, the proportion of similar attitudes has not been distinguished from the number of similar attitudes. In a 4 X 3 factorial design, 4 levels of proportion and 3 levels of number were employed. Each of 168 Ss was asked to read an attitude scale purportedly filled out by an anonymous stranger and to evaluate him on a number of variables including attraction toward him. As hypothesized, analysis of variance indicated that attraction was significantly (p < .001) affected only by proportion. Utilizing these and other data for a total of 790 Ss, the functional relationship between proportion of similar attitudes and attraction was found to be a linear one. The conceptualization of attitude similarity as constituting positive reinforcement was strengthened by the finding of a linear relationship in McDonald's (1962) data between proportion of high creativity ratings given to 192 Ss and their attraction toward the rater. (20 ref.)

Abstract This longitudinal study of adolescent girls and boys examined the contributions of social (peer appearance context), psychological (internalized appearance ideals and appearance social comparison), and biological (body mass) factors to the development of body dissatisfaction. Students (165 girls and 139 boys) completed questionnaires when they were either in 7th grade or 10th grade and again 1 year later. The results for the boys revealed a singular pathway to body dissatisfaction through internalized commitment to muscularity ideals. The prospective analyses of change in body dissatisfaction among the girls reflected the contributions of appearance conversations with friends, appearance social comparisons, and body mass. There was no evidence of mediation among the boys and limited support for it among the girls. Copyright 2004 American Psychological Association

61Media pressure and thin-ideal internalization increased body dissatisfaction.61Media pressure and body dissatisfaction predicted restrained eating.61Media pressure and body dissatisfaction predicted unhealthy weight control behaviors.

Although research suggests that fat talk, the normalized conversations that involve degrading one's body shape/weight and size, can increase body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behavior, the extent to which dietary restraint may moderate these relationships remains uncertain. A pilot study (N=30) comparing online videos with researcher-developed vignettes as prospective manipulations for fat talk exposure suggested use of the vignettes as potent yet subtle stimuli. In the main study, women undergraduates (N=116) were randomized to read a fat talk or neutral vignette and then completed standardized measures of body dissatisfaction and dietary restraint while being concurrently presented with food stimuli. Results suggest significant moderation effects for dietary restraint: whereas fat talk exposure was associated with increased body dissatisfaction among low dietary restrainers, it appeared to reduce food consumption among high dietary restrainers. Findings highlight the importance of individual differences in shaping responses to fat talk.

Abstract A social psychological account of the acquisition of binge eating, analogous to the classic social psychological work, "Social Pressures in Informal Groups" (Festinger, Schachter, & Back, 1950), is suggested and tested in two college sororities. In these sororities, clear evidence of group norms about appropriate binge-eating behavior was found; in one sorority, the more one binged, the more popular one was. In the other, popularity was associated with binging the right amount: Those who binged too much or too little were less popular than those who binged at the mean. Evidence of social pressures to binge eat were found as well. By the end of the academic year, a sorority member's binge eating could be predicted from the binge-eating level of her friends (average r = .31). As friendship groups grew more cohesive, a sorority member's binge eating grew more and more like that of her friends (average r = .35). The parsimony of a social psychological account of the acquisition of binge eating behavior is shown. I argue that there is no great mystery to how bulimia has become such a serious problem for today's women. Binge eating seems to be an acquired pattern of behavior, perhaps through modeling, and appears to be learned much like any other set of behaviors. Like other behaviors, it is under substantial social control.

Objective. - Clinical accounts and previous evidence suggest that socio-emotional impairments may be present in people with bulimia nervosa (BN). The aim of this paper was to systematically review studies of social cognition, and to evaluate whether social cognitive deficits exist in BN.Method. - Keywords were identified using an existing model of social cognition (Green et al., 2007) [16], and used to search for relevant papers in three online databases. Records were then screened according to a priori inclusion/exclusion criteria.Results. - Five papers reporting seven social cognition tasks were identified as pertinent to the review. All involved either theory of mind ability or emotional processing skills. Participants with BN had impaired performance on the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale and showed greater attentional bias than controls on an emotional Stroop task. There were no overall group differences for any other tasks, although there were small differences for some specific test items.Conclusions. - Basic social cognition does not appear to be impaired in people with BN. Future research should make use of more complex, ecologically valid measures, and consider the relationship between task performance and everyday social functioning. (C) 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

ObjectiveUse of disordered eating behaviors is common among adolescents, and cross-sectional research has suggested that friends may be an important influence, especially among females. The current study seeks to expand upon this literature using a longitudinal design and a large, diverse sample of male and female youth.MethodsA total of 2,516 adolescents provided survey data at baseline (1998–1999) and follow-up (2003–2004) regarding their friends' involvement in dieting and their own experience of chronic dieting, unhealthy weight control, extreme weight control, and binge eating. General linear modeling was used to generate predicted probabilities of disordered eating at follow-up across four levels of friends' dieting at baseline, adjusting for baseline use of disordered eating, and other covariates. Interaction terms were used to determine whether the association between friends' dieting and disordered eating differed across age cohorts.ResultsOne-third of participants reported that their friends were “not at all” involved in dieting at baseline, and 8.8% reported that their friends were very involved in dieting. Friends' dieting at baseline was positively associated with chronic dieting, unhealthy weight control behaviors, extreme weight control behaviors, and binge eating 5 years later among females, and with extreme weight control behaviors five years later among males. For both males and females, these associations were similar across age groups.ConclusionsInterventions targeting friendship groups rather than focusing solely on individuals may be an important strategy for the prevention of disordered eating. Health care providers may wish to ask adolescents about their friends' eating and dieting practices so as to address these issues in a clinical setting.

The degree to which media contributes to body dissatisfaction, life satisfaction and eating disorder symptoms in teenage girls continues to be debated. The current study examines television, social media and peer competition influences on body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms and life satisfaction in a sample of 237 mostly Hispanic girls. 101 of these girls were reassessed in a later 6-month follow-up. Neither television exposure to thin ideal media nor social media predicted negative outcomes either concurrently nor prospectively with the exception of a small concurrent correlation between social media use and life satisfaction. Social media use was found to contribute to later peer competition in prospective analysis, however, suggesting potential indirect but not direct effects on body related outcomes. Peer competition proved to be a moderate strong predictor of negative outcomes both concurrently and prospectively. It is concluded that the negative influences of social comparison are focused on peers rather than television or social media exposure.

To identify predictors of becoming eating disordered among adolescents.

The increasing global health burden imposed by eating disorders warrants close examination of social exposures associated with globalization that potentially elevate risk during the critical developmental period of adolescence in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The study aim was to investigate the association of peer influence and perceived social norms with adolescent eating pathology in Fiji, a LMIC undergoing rapid social change.We measured peer influence on eating concerns (with the Inventory of Peer Influence on Eating Concerns; IPIEC), perceived peer norms associated with disordered eating and body concerns, perceived community cultural norms, and individual cultural orientations in a representative sample of school-going ethnic Fijian adolescent girls (n = 523). We then developed a multivariable linear regression model to examine their relation to eating pathology (measured by the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire; EDE-Q).We found independent and statistically significant associations between both IPIEC scores and our proxy for perceived social norms specific to disordered eating (both p < .001) and EDE-Q global scores in a fully adjusted linear regression model.Study findings support the possibility that peer influence as well as perceived social norms relevant to disordered eating may elevate risk for disordered eating in Fiji, during the critical developmental period of adolescence. Replication and extension of these research findings in other populations undergoing rapid social transition--and where globalization is also influencing local social norms--may enrich etiologic models and inform strategies to mitigate risk.

Objective: This study examined whether poorer friendship relations predict weight concerns and dietary restraint in adolescent girls. Method: Questionnaires were administered to 131 Year 9 and Year 10 girls to assess the relationship between acceptance by friends, perceived social support, friendship intimacy, and perceived impact of thinness on male (PITOF-M) and female (PITOF-F) friendships on the one hand, and body image concern, body dissatisfaction, and restrained eating on the other. Results: Friendship variables contributed significantly to the prediction of body image concern, body dissatisfaction, and restrained eating. The largest unique contribution to prediction was from the PITOF-M. Poor acceptance by friends significantly predicted the PITOF-M and PITOF-F. Whereas heavier girls were more likely to believe being thinner would improve their friendships, they did not experience poorer friendships. Discussion: Results suggest sociocultural risk factors for disordered eating and underline the importance of perceived peer affiliation on girls' body image-concern and dieting. &COPY; 2005 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Examination of data from the sophomore and senior cohorts of the High School and Beyond survey reveals that students are only one-sixth as likely to choose a cross-race than a same-race peer as a friend. Controls for school and individual variables account for only a third of this differential. (Author/BJV)

Abstract Variability in adolescent-friend similarity is documented in a diverse sample of African American, Asian American, and European American adolescents. Similarity was greatest for substance use, modest for academic orientations, and low for ethnic identity. Compared with Asian American and European American adolescents, African American adolescents chose friends who were less similar with respect to academic orientation or substance use but more similar with respect to ethnic identity. For all three ethnic groups, personal endorsement of the dimension in question and selection of cross-ethnic-group friends heightened similarity. Similarity was a relative rather than an absolute selection criterion: Adolescents did not choose friends with identical orientations. These findings call for a comprehensive theory of friendship selection sensitive to diversity in adolescents' experiences. Implications for peer influence and self-development are discussed.

The current study explores the role of appearance-related social pressure regarding changes in body image in adolescent girls ( n = 236) and boys ( n = 193) over a 1-year-period. High school students aged 11鈥16 completed measures of body dissatisfaction (i.e., weight and muscle concerns) and appearance-related social pressure from peers and parents. Three aspects proved to be particularly crucial: Parental encouragement to control weight and shape was a strong predictor of weight concerns in boys and girls alike; influences of friends affected gender-specific body image concerns by leading to weight concerns in girls and muscle concerns in boys; finally appearance-based exclusion was a predictor of weight concerns in boys. The findings provide longitudinal evidence for the crucial impact of appearance-related social pressure and suggest that a detailed assessment of different types of social impacts can identify concrete targets for effective prevention and therapy for weight-related problems among adolescents.

This study examined the role of friendship networks and peer influences in body image concern, dietary restraint, extreme weight loss behaviours (EWLBs) and binge eating in a large community sample of young adolescent females. Based on girls’ self-reported friendship groups, social network analysis was used to identify 173 friendship cliques. Results indicated that clique members shared similar scores on measures of dieting, EWLB and binge eating, but not body image concern. Average clique scores for dieting, EWLB and binge eating, were also correlated significantly with clique averages on measures of perceived peer influence, body mass index and psychological variables. Multiple regression analyses indicated that perceived peer influences in weight-related attitudes and behaviours were predictive of individual girls’ level of body image concern, dieting, EWLB use and binge eating. Notably, an individual girl's dieting and EWLB use could be predicted from her friends’ respective dieting and EWLB scores. Findings highlight the significance of the peer environment in body image and eating problems during early adolescence.

Abstract: This study tested five proposed models of the relationship of negative affect and peer factors in early adolescent body dissatisfaction, dieting, and bulimic behaviors. A large community sample of girls in early adolescence was assessed via questionnaire (X[overbar] age = 12.3 years). Structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that negative affect mediated the relationship between body dissatisfaction and bulimic behaviors. Body dissatisfaction also contributed independently to the concurrent prediction of bulimic behaviors. The proposed pathways from dieting to negative affect and dieting to bulimic behaviors were not supported. However, perceived peer influence, perceived weight-related teasing, and the self-reported eating behaviors of friendship clique members all contributed significantly to the concurrent prediction of individual eating pathology. These findings highlight the importance of negative affect and both perceived and actual peer attitudes and behaviors in early adolescent eating pathology. (Contains 1 note, 1 table, and 2 figures.)

This 18-month prospective study investigated factors that contributed to changes in eating disorder symptoms among adolescents living in the People's Republic of China. Five hundred forty-one Chinese middle school and high school students (182 boys, 359 girls) completed measures of eating disorder symptoms; body dissatisfaction; appearance ideal endorsements; negative affect; and appearance-based social pressure, teasing, and comparison. For girls, baseline levels of negative affect, preference for a thin appearance ideal, and fatness concern made unique contributions to reported eating disturbances at the 18-month follow-up. For boys, baseline body mass index and fatness concerns were the only significant univariate predictors of changes in eating pathology.

ObjectivesBody image and eating disturbances have become global phenomena, yet prospective designs have rarely been employed in research on non-Western samples. This study tested the extent to which select features of the dual-pathway account of bulimic disturbances contributed to changes in eating disorder symptoms reported among adolescents from China.MethodsA sample of 593 Chinese middle school and high school students (217 boys, 376 girls) completed measures of eating disorder symptoms, body image concerns, internalized physical appearance ideals, negative affect, and appearance-based social pressure, teasing, and comparison and returned 9 months later to complete the same measures.ResultsFor both girls and boys, increases in eating disorder symptoms between Times 1 and 2 were predicted by higher baseline levels of fatness concern and perceived social pressure. Among the girls, negative affect also contributed marginally to changes in eating disorder symptoms.ConclusionsFindings suggest specific risk factors including personal concerns about being fat and negative social feedback about physical appearance, may help to explain changes in eating disturbances of adolescents over time and across specific cultures.

From a large school-based sample ( N 65=653,084), 49 Mainland Chinese adolescents (31 girls, 18 boys) who endorsed all DSM-IV criteria for bulimia nervosa (BN) or sub-threshold BN and 49 matched controls (31 girls, 18 boys) completed measures of demographics and sociocultural experiences related to body image. Compared to less symptomatic peers, those in the BN group reported higher levels of appearance pressure from their network of close relationships and mass media, appearance comparisons and conversations, and fear of negative appearance evaluation. A hierarchical logistic regression analysis based seven predictors resulted in the correct identification of 82.7% of respondents, including 83.7% of the BN group and 81.7% of controls. Responses on sociocultural measures, especially those reflecting appearance pressure, added to the classification rate, after controlling for body mass index and household socioeconomic status. When repeated within each sex, classification accuracy was 90.3% for girls and 86.1% for boys. This study establishes clear links between sociocultural influences and BN among urban adolescent girls and boys living in the People’s Republic of China.

Despite evidence that sociocultural and psychological factors contribute to disordered eating, researchers have yet to examine the extent to which putative risk factors influence vulnerability for girls versus boys within and across phases of adolescence, particularly in non-Western cultures. In this study, early and middle adolescent samples from China (N = 2,909) completed measures of eating disorder pathology and putative risk factors at baseline and were reassessed 12 months later. Among both younger and older girls, elevations in appearance-focused interactions with friends, negative affect, and body dissatisfaction predicted increases in symptomatology at follow-up. In contrast, there was more discontinuity in risk factors relevant to samples of boys. Although media and friendship influences contributed to later disturbances among early adolescent boys, psychological factors, including body dissatisfaction and negative affect, had stronger effects in the multivariate model for older boys. Implications of finding are discussed in relation to adolescent development and a Chinese cultural context.

Abstract Even though reliable eating disorder risk factors have been identified among adolescent girls, little is known about predictors of increased vulnerability within specific phases of adolescence or among adolescent boys, particularly in highly populated non-Western contexts. In this study, early and middle adolescent boys (n090009=0900091,271) and girls (n090009=0900091,415) from Chongqing, China completed validated measures of eating disorder pathology and putative risk factors at baseline and 20002years follow-up. Multivariate models for boys of each age group indicated increases in disordered eating at follow-up were predicted by higher initial body mass index, negative affect and body dissatisfaction levels as well as attendant increases in perceived appearance pressure from mass media, body dissatisfaction, negative affect between assessments. High baseline levels of reported appearance pressure from parents and dating partners contributed, respectively, to prediction models of younger and older boys. More distinct constellations of significant predictors emerged in multivariate models of early versus middle adolescent girls. Together, findings indicated body dissatisfaction and negative affect were fairly robust risk factors for exacerbations in disturbances across samples while risk factors such as perceived pressure from desired/prospective dating partners were salient only during particular phases of adolescence.

The aims of the present review are to apply a recent risk factor approach (H. C. Kraemer et al., 1997) to putative risk factors for eating disorders, to order these along a timeline, and to deduce general taxonomic questions. Putative risk factors were classified according to risk factor type, outcome (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, full vs. partial syndromes), and additional factor characteristics (specificity, potency, need for replication). Few of the putative risk factors were reported to precede the onset of the disorder. Many factors were general risk factors; only few differentiated between the 3 eating disorder syndromes. Common risk factors from longitudinal and cross-sectional studies were gender, ethnicity, early childhood eating and gastrointestinal problems, elevated weight and shape concerns, negative self-evaluation, sexual abuse and other adverse experiences, and general psychiatric morbidity. Suggestions are made for the conceptualization of future risk factor studies.

Background. Documented trends in health-related risk behaviors among US adolescents have remained high over time. Studies indicate relationships among mutual friends are a major influence on adolescents’ risky behaviors. Social Network Analysis (SNA) can help understand friendship ties affecting individual adolescents’ engagement in these behaviors. Moreover, a systematic literature review can synthesize findings from a range of studies using SNA, as well as assess these studies’ methodological quality. Review findings also can help health educators and promoters develop more effective programs. Objective. This review systematically examined studies of the influence of friendship networks on adolescents’ risk behaviors, which utilized SNA and the Add Health data (a nationally representative sample). Methods. We employed the Matrix Method to synthesize and evaluate 15 published studies that met our inclusion and exclusion criteria, retrieved from the Add Health website and 3 major databases (Medline, Eric, and PsycINFO). Moreover, we assigned each study a methodological quality score (MQS). Results. In all studies, friendship networks among adolescents promoted their risky behaviors, including drinking alcohol, smoking, sexual intercourse, and marijuana use. The average MQS was 4.6, an indicator of methodological rigor (scale: 1–9). Conclusion. Better understanding of risky behaviors influenced by friends can be useful for health educators and promoters, as programs targeting friendships might be more effective. Additionally, the overall MQ of these reviewed studies was good, as average scores fell above the scale’s mid-point.

This research evaluates the contributions of three dimensions of appearance culture (appearance magazine exposure, appearance conversations with friends, and peer appearance criticism) and body mass index (BMI) to internalization of appearance ideals and body image dissatisfaction. Four hundred thirty-three girls and 347 boys in Grades 7 through 10 responded to several measures on a self-report questionnaire. The results of path analyses indicated that Internalization mediated the relationship between Appearance Conversations With Friends and Body Dissatisfaction for both boys and girls. In addition, Internalization, Peer Appearance Criticism, and BMI made direct contributions to Body Dissatisfaction for boys and girls, although the strength of the relationships varied by gender. The proposed mediated relation between Appearance Magazine Exposure and Body Dissatisfaction was confirmed only for the girls. The findings provide needed information about the contributions of the peer appearance culture to internalization and body image disturbances for adolescent boys and girls.

Multidimensional measures of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating were studied in samples of 12–1502years old middle school children. Consistent with feminist theories associating body dissatisfaction with rapid social change, Korean girls ( n 65=65272) exhibited the greatest body dissatisfaction and the most behaviors associated with disordered eating and were followed in order by Korean boys ( n 65=65276), US girls ( n 65=65251), and US boys ( n 65=65220). The results, which replicated Jung and Forbes ( 2006 ) report of greater body dissatisfaction among Korean than among US college women, suggest that (1) these differences originate prior to adolescence, and (2) the sociocultural variables producing greater body dissatisfaction in Korean girls and women also influence body dissatisfaction among boys.

Research suggests that body dissatisfaction (BD) is prevalent among males and associated with unhealthy outcomes. Consistent with the well-validated Tripartite Influence Model, internalization of an ideal body figure and social body comparison have received support as predictors of men's dissatisfaction with their muscularity. However, empirical investigations with males that include both constructs are lacking. The current study examined the associations of both constructs with muscularity-oriented BD in a sample of college men ( = 204). Results from hierarchical regression analyses revealed that internalization and social body comparisons had unique relations with men's muscularity-oriented BD. A structural equation model indicated that both constructs mediated the relationship between social influences and muscularity BD. Preliminary data on targets of male body comparisons also were presented. These findings provide evidence for extension of the Tripartite Influence Model to males, particularly when constructs are assessed in ways that are reliable and valid for this population.

61Lower familial social support predicted greater disordered eating but not body dissatisfaction61Lower peer social support predicted greater body dissatisfaction but not disordered eating61Body dissatisfaction did not mediate the relation between familial support and disordered eating.61Body dissatisfaction mediated the relation between peer support and disordered eating.61Gender further moderated the relation between peer support and disordered eating.

The current study was designed to evaluate the role of sociocultural influences over a 16 month period on strategies to lose weight, extreme weight loss strategies, and strategies to increase muscles among adolescent boys (=344) and girls (=246). All participants completed measures of body dissatisfaction, body image importance, strategies to lose weight, extreme weight loss strategies, and strategies to increase muscles. Measures of perceived pressure to lose weight or increase muscles from mother, father, best male friend, best female friend and the media were also evaluated. Data were gathered on three occasions, 8 months apart. The results demonstrated that boys showed a decrease in strategies to lose weight and increase muscles over time, whereas girls showed an increase. Both boys and girls showed an increase in extreme weight loss strategies with girls demonstrating a greater increase than boys. The sociocultural influences generally were perceived by girls to relate to messages to lose weight, whereas for boys they were perceived to relate to increasing muscles. Messages from parents, particularly fathers, were strong predictors of both strategies to lose weight and increase muscles among boys, with the media and best male friend playing a limited role. For girls, the strongest influences were mothers and best female friends, with few influences from fathers or the media. The results of this study are discussed in terms of the importance of the various sociocultural influences in shaping body change strategies among young adolescent boys and girls, and the implications of these findings for intervention programs for adolescents.

It is proposed that a cultural ideal of thinness for women causes depression at a higher rate among women than among men. This model accounts for five currently unintegrated trends in the epidemiology of depression. It explains why: (1) twice as many women as men are likely to be depressed; (2) this sex difference emerges at puberty; (3) this sex difference is only found in western countries; (4) there is more depression today; (5) the average age of onset for depression is younger now than in the past. Four parallel trends in eating disorders can also be accounted for by the same factor.

Similarity breeds connection. This principle-the homophily principle-structures network ties of every type, including marriage, friendship, work, advice, support, information transfer, exchange, comembership, and other types of relationship. The result is that people's personal networks are homogeneous with regard to many sociodemographic, behavioral, and intrapersonal characteristics. Homophily limits people's social worlds in a way that has powerful implications for the information they receive, the attitudes they form, and the interactions they experience. Homophily in race and ethnicity creates the strongest divides in our personal environments, with age, religion, education, occupation, and gender following in roughly that order. Geographic propinquity, families, organizations, and isomorphic positions in social systems all create contexts in which homophilous relations form. Ties between nonsimilar individuals also dissolve at a higher rate, which sets the stage for the formation of niches (localized positions) within social space. We argue for more research on: (a) the basic ecological processes that link organizations, associations, cultural communities, social movements, and many other social forms; (b) the impact of multiplex ties on the patterns of homophily; and (c) the dynamics of network change over time through which networks and other social entities co-evolve.

A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between appearance and weight-based teasing and three outcome measures: body dissatisfaction, restrictive eating, and bulimic behaviors. Four meta-analyses were conducted. Fifty effect sizes (02=0210,618) resulted in a moderate effect size of .39 for the relationship between weight teasing and body dissatisfaction; 24 effect sizes (02=027190) resulted in an effect size of .32 for the relationship between appearance teasing and body dissatisfaction; 20 effect sizes (02=024792) resulted in an effect size of .35 for the relationship between weight teasing and dietary restraint; and 22 effect sizes (02=025091) resulted in an effect size of .36 for the relationship between weight teasing and bulimic behaviors. Significant moderators that emerged were teasing measure type, publication type, study type, age group, and gender. The findings offer further support for the inclusion of strategies in body image and eating disorders’ prevention and intervention programs that focus on handling negative, appearance-related commentary.

It has been suggested that a broad range of social factors influence disturbed eating attitudes, but there has been relatively little investigation of the role of peer influence. Drawing from social identity theory, this longitudinal study of a nonclinical group of women examined whether social proximity results in a convergence of eating psychopathology over time. Forty-one nonclinical women (living in 11 communal apartments) completed the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) at three time points (1 week after moving in, 10 weeks later, and a further 14 weeks later). The women's eating and related attitudes were compared across the three time points. Then divergence scores were calculated (showing the spread of EDI scores within each apartment) and compared across the three time points. The spread of scores within the apartments changed significantly, indicating some convergence in those attitudes that are socially valued (restrictive attitudes; body concerns) and divergence in those attitudes that are not socially valued (bulimia). There was also an increase in convergence of levels of perfectionism. The findings support the suggestion that social proximity promotes convergence of socially valued eating characteristics but divergence of socially stigmatised characteristics. Further research is suggested to establish the generalizability of these findings and to identify those who are most at risk of such social effects on eating disturbance.

The aim of this study was to investigate the opinions of female adolescents living in the ROI on issues relating to body image and dietary practice. A qualitative study was selected to enable the issues to be explored in depth. Sixteen focus groups were executed with adolescent females ( n = 124) aged 15–16 years. Data collection took place during class time in both rural and urban schools in the ROI. Data were analysed using a qualitative thematic methodology, namely framework analysis. High levels of body dissatisfaction existed and dieting was found to be prevalent. The influence of media celebrities was significant. The girls not only aspired to be like them in terms of physique but also followed their alleged dieting regimes in detail. Peers also influenced body dissatisfaction and dieting practices. Consequently, eating habits were altered to accommodate this quest for thinness with a tendency to skip main meals as part of the dieting practice while maintaining an unhealthy snacking pattern. The results are of concern as the adolescent females were utilising unhealthy methods of weight control such as skipping meals and fasting in their quest to obtain a thin physique. A slim body image was deemed important for peer acceptance; hence ‘crash’ dieting was in existence. This mindset and the resultant dietary practices may have negative health consequences during both adolescence and later life. School interventions targeting adolescent females and focusing on healthy eating and body image are therefore urgently required.

Abstract The relationship between social comparison and body dissatisfaction was examined using meta-analysis. Several demographic and methodological variables were examined as potential moderators. Data from 156 studies (189 effect sizes) showed that social comparison was related to higher levels of body dissatisfaction. The effect for social comparison and body dissatisfaction was stronger for women than men and inversely related to age. This effect was stronger when social comparison was directly measured rather than inferred. No differences emerged for the presence of eating psychopathology, study design, or object of comparison. Results confirm theory and research suggesting that comparing oneself unfavorably to another on the basis of appearance may lead to dissatisfaction with one's own appearance. Moderator variables refine our understanding of the social comparison-body dissatisfaction relationship. These constructs and their relationship should be explored further in future studies. PsycINFO Database Record 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Disordered eating behaviors are prevalent in adolescence and can have harmful consequences. An important question is whether use of these behaviors in adolescence sets the pattern for continued use into young adulthood. To examine the prevalence and tracking of dieting, unhealthy and extreme weight control behaviors, and binge eating from adolescence to young adulthood. Population-based, 10-year longitudinal study (Project EAT-III: Eating Among Teens and Young Adults, 1999-2010). The study population included 2,287 young adults (55% girls, 52% nonwhite). The sample included a younger group (mean age 12.8 0.7 years at baseline and 23.2卤1.0 years at follow-up) and an older group (mean age 15.9卤0.8 at baseline and 26.2 0.9 years at follow-up). Longitudinal trends in prevalence of behaviors were tested using generalized estimating equations. Tracking of behaviors were estimated using the relative risk of behaviors at follow-up given presence at baseline. In general, the prevalence of dieting and disordered eating was high and remained constant, or increased, from adolescence to young adulthood. Furthermore, behaviors tended to track within individuals and, in general, participants who engaged in dieting and disordered eating behaviors during adolescence were at increased risk for these behaviors 10 years later. Tracking was particularly consistent for the older girls and boys transitioning from middle adolescence to middle young adulthood. Study findings indicate that disordered eating behaviors are not just an adolescent problem, but continue to be prevalent among young adults. The tracking of dieting and disordered eating within individuals suggests that early use is likely to set the stage for ongoing use. Findings suggest a need for both early prevention efforts before the onset of harmful behavioral patterns as well as ongoing prevention and treatment interventions to address the high prevalence of disordered eating throughout adolescence and young adulthood.

This study investigated prospective risk factors for increases in body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls and boys in the Eating Among Teens Project. At the time of first assessment (Time 1), participants were a cohort of early adolescent girls (N=440) and boys (N=366) and a cohort of middle adolescent girls (N=946) and boys (N=764). Participants were followed up 5 years later (Time 2). Potential prospective risk factors examined included body mass index, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, parent dieting environment, peer environment, and psychological factors. Predictors of Time 2 body dissatisfaction were Time 1 body dissatisfaction, body mass index, socioeconomic status, being African American, friend dieting and teasing, self-esteem, and depression. However, the profile of predictors differed across the samples.

Abstract This study explored friendship variables in relation to body image, dietary restraint, extreme weight-loss behaviors (EWEBs), and binge eating in adolescent girls. From 523 girls, 79 friendship cliques were identified using social network analysis. Participants completed questionnaires that assessed body image concerns, eating, friendship relations, and psychological family, and media variables. Similarity was greater for within than for between friendship cliques for body image concerns, dietary restraint, and EWLBs, but not for binge eating. Cliques high in body image concerns and dieting manifested these concerns in ways consistent with a high weight/shape-preoccupied subculture. Friendship attitudes contributed significantly to the prediction of individual body image concern and eating behaviors. Use of EWLBs by friends predicted an individual's own level of use.

Although major etiological models highlight the importance of friends in the development of adolescent body image and eating problems, longitudinal research that comprehensively investigates possible direct and mediational relationships between these variables is lacking. Thus, this study aimed to examine prospective interrelationships between perceived friend influence, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating in early adolescent girls, and whether these relationships differed across levels of body mass. A large Australian community sample of female high school students (N = 1,094; Time 1 M age = 12.3 years) completed a battery of self-report questionnaires assessing perceived friend influence, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating at 3 yearly intervals. Height and weight were also measured at each time point. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate two separate models, in which Time 2 body dissatisfaction was hypothesized to mediate the relationship between Time 1 perceived friend influence and Time 3 dieting and bulimic behaviors. No significant direct or indirect pathways were found between friend influence and disordered eating. Unexpectedly, however, body dissatisfaction was found to prospectively predict girls' perception of friend influence. These findings were remarkably similar in both healthy and overweight girls. The findings suggest that friends may be more influential for those adolescents who have higher levels of body image concern, rather than contributing directly to the development of body dissatisfaction. The peer environment represents an important consideration in adolescent prevention and intervention programs.

Previous research has shown that adolescent girls tend to resemble their friends in their level of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. However, no studies to date have attempted to disentangle the underlying peer selection and socialization processes that may explain this homophily. The current study used longitudinal stochastic actor-based modeling to simultaneously examine these two processes in a large community sample of adolescent girls (N = 1,197) from nine Australian girls' high schools. Friendship nominations and measures of body dissatisfaction, dieting and bulimic behaviors were collected across three annual waves. Results indicated that selection rather than socialization effects contributed to similarity within friendship groups when both processes were examined simultaneously. Specifically, girls tended to select friends who were similar to themselves in terms of body dissatisfaction and bulimic behaviors, but dissimilar in terms of dieting. Network and individual attribute variables also emerged as significant in explaining changes in adolescents' friendships and behaviors. As well as having important clinical implications, the findings point to the importance of controlling for friendship selection when examining the role of peers in adolescent body image and eating problems.

The pursuit of muscularity is an important body image concern among boys which has been described within sociocultural models of risk for eating disorders. This study explored a sociocultural model of disordered eating in which drive for thinness and pursuit of muscularity were both pathways to disordered eating among French adolescent boys. A sample of 146 adolescents completed a questionnaire assessing drive for thinness, drive for muscularity, media-ideal internalization, appearance comparison, and sociocultural pressure. The model was a good fit to the data and both drive for thinness and the pursuit of muscularity were related to disordered eating. Furthermore, internalization and appearance comparison mediated the relationships between pressure to increase muscle and both drive for muscularity and drive for thinness. Longitudinal research could help clarify the role of the pursuit of muscularity in the development of disordered eating and extreme body shape changing behaviors.

78 Study addresses gap of mixed gender research on eating disturbances in the Gulf. 78 Three quarters of the study population had a poor body image. 78 One in every five indicated eating disturbances of potentially clinical relevance. 78 Depressive symptomatology predicted eating pathology in both genders. 78 Findings increase our knowledge about eating disorders as a west-goes-east-syndrome.

Objectives This study examined relationships between adolescent girls' body dissatisfaction and disordered eating, quality of same-sex peer relationships and beliefs about thinness in interpersonal relationships, before and after controlling for depression.Design Correlations between body image, eating and friendship variables were examined before and after controlling for depressive symptoms. Top and bottom quartiles on symptom variables were identified and analyses of variance, with and without depressive symptoms entered as a covariate, were used to compare scores between groups on friendship variables.Methods Grade 10 girls (N=324) completed self-report questionnaires.Results Consistent relationships were observed between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating, and negative friendship qualities (friend alienation, friend conflict), but not positive friendship qualities (friend communication, friend trust and peer acceptance). The strength of relationships with negative friendship qualities was reduced when depressive symptoms were taken into account. High and low symptom groups differed on perceived friend concern with weight and advantages of thinness in interpersonal relationships before and after controlling for depressive symptoms.Conclusions Results suggest the importance of addressing negative aspects of peer relationships, social anxieties and beliefs about the importance of thinness in the peer environment as well as depressive symptoms, in interventions for body dissatisfaction and eating problems.

Peers may serve as risk factors for body dissatisfaction and eating pathology through two possible routes: (1) promoting body dissatisfaction through appearance-related interactions (e.g. weight-teasing); (2) a non-specific social support route whereby poor quality peer relations result in depression and consequently eating pathology. The second route has received little attention and, therefore, was the focus of this study.A cross-sectional study in which 216 adolescent girls (aged 13-16 years) completed self-report measures of positive and negative friendship qualities, friendship functions, eating pathology, body dissatisfaction and depression.Those reporting poorer quality friendships tended to show greater eating pathology and greater body dissatisfaction. These associations were reduced to non-significance when covarying depression. There was no evidence that the role of friendships was moderated by the extent to which participants valued close relations.Low-quality friendships are associated with disordered eating and may be suitable targets for prevention.

The tripartite influence model of body image and eating disturbance is a recent theoretical approach that includes a test of direct (peer, parental, and media factors) and mediational links (internalization of societal appearance standards, appearance comparison processes) as factors potentially leading to body dissatisfaction and eating disturbance. The theory was evaluated in the current study in a sample of 391 adolescent females. A structural equation model that evaluated the tripartite model replicated previous findings reported by Keery, van den Berg and Thompson (2004) [Keery, H., van den Berg, & Thompson, J. K. (2004). A test of the tripartite influence model of body image and eating disturbance in adolescent girls. Body Image: An International Journal of Research, 1, 237鈥251.]. Additionally, a second model extended these findings, suggesting that peer and media influences are more important than parental influences. The results are discussed in light of the need for prevention programs to incorporate formative influences and mediational processes in the construction of intervention strategies.

Prior research describes the development of susceptibility to peer pressure in adolescence as following an inverted U-shaped curve, increasing during early adolescence, peaking around age 14, and declining thereafter. This pattern, however, is derived mainly from studies that specifically examined peer pressure to engage in antisocial behavior. In the present study, age differences and developmental change in resistance to peer influence were assessed using a new self-report instrument that separates susceptibility to peer pressure from willingness to engage in antisocial activity. Data from four ethnically and socioeconomically diverse samples comprising more than 3,600 males and females between the ages of 10 and 30 were pooled from one longitudinal and two cross-sectional studies. Results show that across all demographic groups, resistance to peer influences increases linearly between ages 14 and 18. In contrast, there is little evidence for growth in this capacity between ages 10 and 14 or between 18 and 30. Middle adolescence is an especially significant period for the development of the capacity to stand up for what one believes and resist the pressures of one's peers to do otherwise.

Eating disorders, an important health problem among college-age women, may be preventable, given that modifiable risk factors for eating disorders have been identified and interventions have been evaluated to reduce these risk factors.To determine if an Internet-based psychosocial intervention can prevent the onset of eating disorders (EDs) in young women at risk for developing EDs.San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area in California.College-age women with high weight and shape concerns were recruited via campus e-mails, posters, and mass media. Six hundred thirty-seven eligible participants were identified, of whom 157 were excluded, for a total sample of 480. Recruitment occurred between November 13, 2000, and October 10, 2003. Intervention A randomized controlled trial of an 8-week, Internet-based cognitive-behavioral intervention (Student Bodies) that included a moderated online discussion group. Participants were studied for up to 3 years.The main outcome measure was time to onset of a subclinical or clinical ED. Secondary measures included change in scores on the Weight Concerns Scale, Global Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, and Eating Disorder Inventory drive for thinness and bulimia subscales and depressed mood. Moderators of outcome were examined.There was a significant reduction in Weight Concerns Scale scores in the Student Bodies intervention group compared with the control group at postintervention (P or =25, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) at baseline and (2) at 1 site, participants with baseline compensatory behaviors (eg, self-induced vomiting, laxative use, diuretic use, diet pill use, driven exercise). No intervention participant with an elevated baseline BMI developed an ED, while the rates of onset of ED in the comparable BMI control group (based on survival analysis) were 4.7% at 1 year and 11.9% at 2 years. In the subgroup with a BMI of 25 or higher, the cumulative survival incidence was significantly lower at 2 years for the intervention compared with the control group (95% confidence interval, 0% for intervention group; 2.7% to 21.1% for control group). For the San Francisco Bay Area site sample with baseline compensatory behaviors, 4% of participants in the intervention group developed EDs at 1 year and 14.4%, by 2 years. Rates for the comparable control group were 16% and 30.4%, respectively.Among college-age women with high weight and shape concerns, an 8-week, Internet-based cognitive-behavioral intervention can significantly reduce weight and shape concerns for up to 2 years and decrease risk for the onset of EDs, at least in some high-risk groups. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that EDs can be prevented in high-risk groups.

Abstract Objective This study examined the association of weight concerns with potential risk factors for the development of eating disorders. Method: A self-report survey was given to 103 elementary (Grades 4 and 5) and 420 middle (Grades 6–8) school students in Arizona and California. Of these, 78 elementary and 333 middle school students provided complete data and were used in the analyses. Results: In a multivariate stepwise regression analysis, the importance that peers put on weight and eating was most strongly related to weight concerns in the elementary school girls, accounting for 34% of the variance after adjusting for site differences. Trying to look like girls/women on TV and in magazines as well as body mass index (BMI) entered the final model that accounted for 57% of the variance in weight concerns. In middle school, the importance that peers place on weight and eating was also the strongest predictor accounting for 33% of the variance followed by confidence, BMI, trying to look like girls/women on TV and in magazines, and being teased about weight. Together these variables accounted for 55% of the variance. Discussion: Prevention programs aimed at reducing weight concerns need to address these factors. 08 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 24:31–42, 1998.

Concerns about weight, shape, body image, dieting, and eating are evident among elementary-age school girls [Int. J. Eating Disord. 10 (1991) 199; J. Adolesc. Health 12 (1991) 307; Pediatrics 84 (1989) 482; J. Clin. Psychol. 21 (1992) 41; Addict. Behav. (2000).]. Body image dissatisfaction, found to predict the formation of eating disturbances in longitudinal studies [Eating Disord.: J. Treat. Prev. 2 (1994) 114; Int. J. Eating Disord. 18 (1995) 221.], is likely a necessary precursor of eating disturbance development [J. Abnorm. Psychol. 102 (1993) 438.]. Turning back the etiological clock, this study examines the association between body image dissatisfaction and four potential areas of influence, including peer relationships, family characteristics, personality features, and body mass index, among girls in grades three, four, and five. Each conceptual area significantly contributed to the prediction of body image dissatisfaction. The combination of statistically significant variables, including teasing, peer modeling of weight and shape concerns, daughters' perceptions of parental influence to lose or control weight, appearance comparison, sensitivity, and body mass index, accounted for 50% of the variance in general body image dissatisfaction and 45% in weight and shape dissatisfaction. Implications for prevention, treatment, and future research are discussed.

PurposeAlthough some studies among adolescent girls found that friends within friendship groups were rather similar on dieting and/or body image constructs, these studies were limited by their cross-sectional designs. The current prospective study is the first to examine friendship group influences on eating disorder risk factors, including body dissatisfaction, weight concerns, dietary restraint, and dieting in adolescent girls.MethodsDesign was a two-wave prospective study with 1-year interval. Of 863 girls (mean age = 13.8, SD = .7), 344 were members of one of the 103 reciprocal friendship groups identified using social network analysis.ResultsReciprocal friends were similar with respect to body image and dieting constructs. However, initial friendship group levels of body dissatisfaction, weight concerns, dietary restraint, and dieting did not predict individual body image and dieting variables 1 year later.ConclusionsThe current findings attest to the significance of reciprocal friendship group correlates of eating disorder risk factors, but suggest that during early-to-mid-adolescence, levels of body image concerns and dieting within reciprocal friendship groups do not influence adolescents' own body image concerns and dieting over 1 year of time.

This longitudinal study examined the influence of peer selection and socialization on bulimic symptoms in college students. Ninety-eight participants completed measures of bulimic symptoms, self-esteem, perfectionism, and impulsivity in the spring and fall of 2003. Peer influence was assessed by examining similarity among selected peers, unselected peers, and nonpeers over time. Among selected peers, bulimic symptoms demonstrated patterns of socialization, self-esteem and perfectionism demonstrated patterns of selection, and these personality traits longitudinally predicted changes in bulimic symptoms. Unselected peers demonstrated no similarity for , self-esteem, or perfectionism, but they did evidence socialization for impulsivity. The findings support an etiological model that integrates social and individual risk factors in creating environments that influence disordered eating among college students.