Two components of body-image disturbance are differentially associated with distinct eating disorder characteristics in healthy young women

Abstract

Body-image disturbance comprises two components. The first is perceptual in nature, and is measured by a discrepancy between one’s actual body and perceived self-image (“perceived–actual discrepancy”). The other component is affective, and is measured by a discrepancy between one’s perceived self-image and ideal body image (“perceived–ideal discrepancy”). The present study evaluated the relationships between body-image disturbance and characteristics of eating disorders such as symptoms and related personality traits. In a psychophysiological experiment, female university students (mean ± SD age = 21.0 ± 1.38 years) were presented with silhouette images of their own bodies that were distorted in terms of width. The participants were asked whether each silhouette image was more overweight than their actual or ideal body images. Eating-disorder characteristics were assessed using six factors from the Japanese version of the Eating Disorder Inventory 2 (EDI2). We found that perceived–actual discrepancies correlated with negative self-evaluation (i.e., factor 3 of the EDI2), whereas perceived–ideal discrepancies correlated with dissatisfaction with one’s own body (i.e., factor 2 of EDI2). These results imply that distinct psychological mechanisms underlie the two components of body-image disturbance.

Reduced body-image disturbance by body-image interventions is associated with neural-response changes in visual and social processing regions: a preliminary study

“…When considering strategies for reducing body-image disturbance, it is crucial to recognize the two components of body-image disturbance, namely perceptual disturbance and affective disturbance, each of which involves distinct psychological and neurological processes. Perceptual disturbance involves distorted perception of one’s body size and shape, such as overestimating one’s body size ( 5 , 13 – 15 ). This component is quantified as the discrepancy between one’s perceived and actual body size (perceived–actual discrepancy) ( 3 – 6 , 15 ).…”

“…Perceptual disturbance involves distorted perception of one’s body size and shape, such as overestimating one’s body size ( 5 , 13 – 15 ). This component is quantified as the discrepancy between one’s perceived and actual body size (perceived–actual discrepancy) ( 3 – 6 , 15 ). Previous studies have associated perceptual disturbance in association with attentional bias ( 4 , 16 , 17 ).…”

Sociodemographic Variables and Body Mass Index Associated with the Risk of Eating Disorders in Spanish University Students

“…Body dissatisfaction is characterized by the presence of value judgments about the body that do not match the actual characteristics [ 10 , 23 , 24 ]. Similarly, body dissatisfaction represents dissatisfaction with overall body shape and with the size of specific body parts (e.g., stomach, hips, thighs, and buttocks) that are of extraordinary concern to people with eating disorders [ 5 , 25 , 26 ].…”

Association of Social Networking Sites Use with Actual and Ideal Body Shapes, and Eating Behaviors in Healthy Young Japanese Women

“…In particular, nearly 20% of young women are underweight [ 2 ]. Women in younger generations are more likely to engage in intentional dietary restriction for weight loss, or dieting, due to their greater drive for thinness and desire to achieve a slimmer body shape [ 3 ]. The increasing prevalence of thinness among young women has raised concerns about its possible adverse effects not only on women’s own life-course [ 4 ], but also on the health of offspring across generations from the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) perspective [ 5 ], highlighting the prevention of thinness among young women as an important public health nutrition issue.…”