Abstract
Purpose
The sociocultural theory of eating disorders (EDs) posits that thin-ideal internalization may interact with social risk factors to influence ED development. Social appearance anxiety (SAA) is a potential social risk factor for EDs that may influence the relationship between thin-ideal internalization and EDs.
Methods
The current study (N = 525 adolescent females) examined whether SAA moderated the relationship between thin-ideal internalization and ED symptoms cross-sectionally and prospectively across one month.
Results
The interaction between thin-ideal internalization and SAA on ED symptoms was significant in both models, such that when SAA was higher, there was a significantly stronger relationship between thin-ideal internalization and ED symptoms. We also found that SAA uniquely, prospectively predicted ED symptoms.
Conclusion
These results suggest that adolescents with high SAA and high thin-ideal internalization are more likely to exhibit higher ED symptoms. SAA both prospectively predicts ED symptoms and may amplify the relationship between thin-ideal internalization and EDs. This research highlights SAA as a social risk factor for ED development in adolescents. Interventions focused on SAA may optimize ED prevention in this population.
Level of evidence
Level IV, evidence obtained from multiple time series with or without the intervention.
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Data availability
Data are available and can be accessed by contacting the senior author.
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This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
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CAL served as the principal investigator for this study. CBC conducted statistical analyses and contributed to the writing of this manuscript. BN conducted literature searches and provided summaries of previous research studies as well as contributed to the writing of this manuscript. LCB assisted with statistical analyses and contributed to revisions of this manuscript. All authors have contributed to and approved the final manuscript.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interests to report.
Ethical approval
This study was approved by the University of Louisville Institutional Review Board (IRB # 16.1272).
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Written informed consent was obtained from the parents of all participants included in the study.
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Christian, C.B., Ngo, B.K., Brosof, L.C. et al. Social appearance anxiety moderates the relationship between thin-ideal internalization and eating disorder symptoms cross-sectionally and prospectively in adolescent girls. Eat Weight Disord 26, 2065–2070 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-020-01050-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-020-01050-y