مواجهه رسانه ای ، درونی سازی لاغری ایده آل و نارضایتی از بدن:مقایسه کالج آمریکایی زنان آمریکایی و اروپایی - آسیایی

Internalization of the thin ideal mediates the media exposure-body dissatisfaction relation in young adult European American females. There is little related research on Asian Americans. We used structural equations modeling to test: (1) whether media exposure was associated with body dissatisfaction in Asian American young adult females, (2) internalization of the thin ideal mediated any such association, and (3) whether the mediational model provided equivalent fit for European American and Asian American samples. Participants were 287 college females (154 Asian Americans, 133 European Americans). Internalization of the thin ideal explained the media exposure-body dissatisfaction association equally well for both groups. Results suggest that Asian Americans may be employing unhealthy weight control behaviors, and may be prone to developing eating disorders, at rates similar to European American young adult females. Clinicians need to screen carefully for body dissatisfaction, unhealthy weight control behaviors, and eating disorders in Asian American females.

Eating disorders predominantly target females, typically strike during late adolescence and young adulthood, and increasingly cross-cut racial/ethnic and socioeconomic lines (Hudson, Hiripe, Pope, & Kessler, 2007). A recent study using a nationally representative sample found no group differences in the prevalence of anorexia nervosa and binge eating disorder among non-Latino Whites, Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Americans, and greater prevalence of bulimia nervosa among Latinos and African Americans as compared to non-Latino Whites ( Marques et al., 2010). These findings underscore the need for research to examine the risk factors and mechanisms involved in the development of eating disorders in racial/ethnic minority groups. Although there is a substantial literature on risk factors and mechanisms involved in the development and maintenance of eating disorders, the preponderance of this literature focuses on European-American samples. It cannot be assumed that this literature applies equally to U.S. racial/ethnic minority groups. In the present study, we compared Asian American and European American young adult females on three key constructs important in the development and maintenance of eating disorders: media exposure, internalization of the thin ideal, and body dissatisfaction. We also tested whether associations among these constructs operate similarly in each group.