Pro-Eating Disorder Websites and Female Body Dissatisfaction Does a Picture Really Say a Thousand Words?
Date of Award
2005
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Social Sciences
First Advisor
Bauer, Gordon
Keywords
Body Dissatisfaction, Eating Psychology, Pro-Eating Disorder, Sociocultural Risk Factors
Area of Concentration
Psychology
Abstract
Sociocultural pressures to be thin, such as those from the thin-ideal in the media, have been implicated in the etiology of eating disorders. Pro-eating disorder (pro-ed) website text content may convey the thin-ideal in much the same way as thin-ideal media images. In a pretest-posttest experimental study female participants were exposed to either text content from pro-eating disorder websites or control materials from nutritional advice books. Condition was significantly associated with posttest state body dissatisfaction, but this was due to lowered body dissatisfaction after control group exposure rather than heightened body dissatisfaction after pro-ed group exposure. However, participants in the experimental condition with initial vulnerabilities (high body dissatisfaction and thin ideal internalization) were more negatively affected by the pro-ed text than participants without initial vulnerabilities (although this association was not significant).
Recommended Citation
Brill, Lauren, "Pro-Eating Disorder Websites and Female Body Dissatisfaction Does a Picture Really Say a Thousand Words?" (2005). Theses & ETDs. 3489.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/3489
Rights
This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.