Sex differences in the relationships between body dissatisfaction, quality of life and psychological distress

Abstract

Background: Body dissatisfaction is associated with impairment in women's quality of life (QoL). To date, research has not examined the relationship between body dissatisfaction and men's QoL, or sex differences in this relationship. Methods:A community sample of 966 males and 1,031 females living in Australia provided information about their body dissatisfaction, mental health and physical health-related QoL, and eating disorder symptoms. Data were analysed using three hierarchical multiple regressions and interactions between body dissatisfaction and sex were examined.Results: For both sexes, increasing levels of body dissatisfaction were associated with poorer mental and physical health-related QoL and greater psychological distress. The adverse associations between body dissatisfaction and mental health-related QoL, and between body dissatisfaction and psychological distress, were more pronounced for males. Conclusion:High levels of body dissatisfaction may threaten the psychological and physical wellbeing of both men and women. Body dissatisfaction appears to be a public health problem, distinct from the eating disorders and other adverse psychological phenomena for which body dissatisfaction is commonly discussed as a risk factor. Males, historically understudied and underrepresented in body image research, warrant increased empirical attention.

Risk and resiliency factors related to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating: The identity disruption model

“…Finally, the majority of studies in the area have been limited to female participants. Although the prevalence of eating disorders is higher among women than among men (Eisenberg, Nicklett, Roeder, & Kirz, ; Kjelsås, Bjørnstrøm, & Götestam, ), research with community samples tends to find smaller differences (Striegel‐Moore et al, ), and significant proportions of both men and women experience body dissatisfaction (Fallon, Harris, & Johnson, ; Griffiths et al, ). Furthermore, with respect to the components of our model, there are also no clear gender differences.…”

The relative importance of dissatisfaction, overvaluation and preoccupation with weight and shape for predicting onset of disordered eating behaviors and depressive symptoms over 15 years

“…Disturbances in body image are increasingly being recognised as a public health concern, being associated with poor quality of life (Griffiths et al, 2016) as well as increased risk for a range of difficulties, most notably eating disorders, but also depressive symptoms, overweight, and unhealthy weight control behaviours, such as cigarette smoking (Field et al, 2005; Loth, Watts, Van Den Berg, & Neumark-Sztainer, 2015; Patalay, Sharpe, & Wolpert, 2015; Rohde, Stice, & Marti, 2015; Sonneville et al, 2012; Sonneville et al, 2015). Despite the centrality of body image disturbances in models of risk and maintenance (e.g., Fairburn, Cooper, & Shafran, 2003; Stice, Gau, Rohde, & Shaw, 2017), and in diagnostic criteria for eating disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), this construct remains relatively loosely conceptualised, with terms often used interchangeably, or captured under umbrella concepts, such as ‘weight and shape concerns’ (e.g., La Mela et al, 2015; Murphy, Dooley, Menton, & Dolphin, 2016).…”

The Relationship Between Dieting and Levels of Perceived Psychological Stress in United Arab Emirates residents

“…Discrepancies between current body weight and desirable weight has been linked to discrimination, internalized stigma and body image trepidations [7]. An extensive systematic review suggests that those with high levels of body dissatisfaction have a range of cognitive biases to appearance-related stimuli [4]. Furthermore, recent research has shown that higher body dissatisfaction is associated with poorer physical and mental health-related quality of life as well as greater psychological distress [4].…”

“…The mass media has been consistently implicated in influencing beliefs about ideal body size and shape with recent research reporting adverse effects in young people [4,11] and women [4,6]. Body dissatisfaction has become a public health concern [4], although evidence to support this claim in the Middle East region is sparse.…”

“…Body dissatisfaction has become a public health concern [4], although evidence to support this claim in the Middle East region is sparse. Dissatisfaction with body image can result in alterations to lifestyle behaviours which focus on reducing energy intake and increasing energy expenditure in order to reduce body weight and enhance body image satisfaction.…”