This study examines multiple influences on preadolescent boys' and girls' body dissatisfaction over time. Mexican American and Euro-American preadolescents (n=105) completed measures addressing their body dissatisfaction. In addition, preadolescents' parents completed a measure assessing their own body dissatisfaction. Results indicate that boys' body dissatisfaction was related to their body size (body mass index, BMI) and their fathers' own body dissatisfaction; girls' body dissatisfaction was related primarily to their own body size. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of understanding boys' increasing susceptibility to body dissatisfaction and the role fathers play in shaping boys' feelings about their bodies as they approach adolescence.
Body image disturbances have become increasingly common among children in recent decades and are frequently conceptualized as normative among preadolescent and adolescent girls Koff & Rierdan, 1991 and Thompson et al., 1997. Even young girls (as young as 5 years of age) express body image and weight concerns (Davison, Markey, & Birch, 2000). Although previous research indicates that girls are more likely than boys to report body dissatisfaction and weight concerns, recent reports suggest that these concerns are also prevalent among males Braun et al., 1999, Cohane & Pope, 2001 and Field et al., 2001.
Approximately 30–40% of preadolescent boys express body dissatisfaction with a desire to be thinner (Collins, 1991; Gustafson-Larson & Terry, 1992) compared with about 50% of their female counterparts who demonstrate similar concerns Ericksen et al., 2002, Schur et al., 2000 and Thompson et al., 1997. Recent reports further suggest that among adolescent boys, body image concerns are influenced by both intrapersonal and sociocultural factors, including their body mass index (BMI) and parental influences (Field et al., 2001). Specifically, researchers have highlighted fathers' beliefs about the importance of thinness and dieting as a factor affecting adolescent boys' body image concerns Field et al., 2001, Ricciardelli & McCabe, 2001 and Vincent & McCabe, 2000. For example, studies indicate that fathers influence their sons' body dissatisfaction and dieting strategies through comments about their bodies, encouragement to lose weight, discussions about dieting, and modeling paternal dieting strategies Schur et al., 2000 and Vincent & McCabe, 2000. However, these studies examined youths' perceptions of their fathers' body image concerns and did not examine the relation between fathers' own body dissatisfaction and the development of their sons' body image concerns.
These data indicate unique gender-specific influences related to boys' and girls' body dissatisfaction. However, findings from this study are somewhat limited by the variable used to assess boys' and girls' ideal body figure at Time 1. At Time 1, youth were asked their perceptions of what they thought the opposite sex would choose as an attractive ideal figure, and at Time 2, they were asked which figure they themselves thought was the most attractive. Although these variables were worded somewhat differently, results indicated that both boys' and girls' body dissatisfaction at Time 1 and Time 2 were highly correlated, suggesting only a minor, if any, impact on the responses across the two data collection time points.
Theoretically, these findings increase our understanding of the patterns associated with the onset and development of boys' body dissatisfaction. This study enhances our models of the etiology of body image concerns among youth by illuminating the importance of including both boys and fathers in research. Additionally, this study was an initial attempt to include Mexican American boys in body image research. From an applied perspective, this research suggests that prevention and intervention programs directed at reducing youths' body image concerns and the consequential unhealthy behaviors associated with body dissatisfaction must be tailored differently for boys and girls.
