19 research outputs found

    Predictors of Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery: Instagram Images-Based Activities, Appearance Comparison and Body Dissatisfaction Among Women

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    BACKGROUND: This study aimed to test a model in which Instagram images-based activities related to self, friends, and celebrities were associated with acceptance of cosmetic surgery via Instagram appearance comparison and body dissatisfaction. We predicted that Instagram use for images-related activities involving celebrities and self (but not friends) was associated with acceptance of cosmetic surgery both directly and indirectly. METHODS: The study participants were 305 Italian women (mean age, 23 years). They completed a questionnaire containing the Instagram Image Activity Scale, the Instagram Appearance Comparison Scale, the Body Shape Questionnaire-14, the Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale. A path analysis was performed in which the Instagram images-based activities were posited as predictors of the Instagram appearance comparison, body dissatisfaction and acceptance of cosmetic surgery, respectively. RESULTS: We found that only image-based activities related to celebrities and self were significantly related to acceptance of cosmetic surgery, whereas friends’ Instagram-related activities were not significantly related to this criterion variable. Moreover, the indirect effect of both Instagram self- and celebrities-images activities on acceptance of cosmetic surgery through Instagram appearance comparison and body dissatisfaction was significant. Friends’ Instagram images-related activities were not associated with acceptance of cosmetic surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, these findings provide information about the role that activities carried out on Instagram, appearance comparison and body dissatisfaction, play on the acceptance of surgery for aesthetic reasons among women. The study highlighted the importance for surgeons to consider some psychological aspects and the influence of sociocultural factors on the interest for cosmetic surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266

    My Exposed Body: Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version of the Social Physique Anxiety Scale-7 among Women

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    Abstract: Background: Social Physique Anxiety (SPA) is the anxiety resulting from the prospect or presence of the interpersonal evaluation of one’s physique. It is a construct related to body image and body esteem. The Social Physique Anxiety Scale-7 (SPAS-7) is a self-report scale aimed at measuring the degree of anxiety that people experience when others evaluate their physique. Methods: This study aimed to investigate the factor structure (through Confirmatory Factor Analysis followed by multi-group confirmatory factorial analyses), reliability, and convergent validity of an Italian version of the SPAS-7 among a sample of women (N = 520; mean age = 33.5, SD = 10.5). Results: Confirmatory Factor Analysis attested the unidimensional factorial structure of the SPAS-7, which achieved full invariance across age groups. The strength of the inter-relationships between the SPAS-7 and measures of negative (i.e., body dissatisfaction) and positive body image (i.e., body appreciation and body compassion) provided evidence of good convergent validity. The Cronbach’s alpha was very good. Conclusion: According to our results, the Italian version of the SPAS-7 could be a valid and agile instrument for assessing self-presentational concerns associated with body image among Italian-speaking women across age

    Not All That Glitters Is Gold: Attractive Partners Provide Joys and Sorrows

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    Through a 2   2 experimental vignette design, we tested if partner perceived attractiveness in interaction with appearance-related comments from one’s partner might affect women and men’s body dissatisfaction, body shame, acceptance of cosmetic surgery, and perceived relationship quality. Participants were 154 women and 157 men living in Italy (mean age = 30.97; all of them were in a couple relationship), who read a vignette describing the purchase of a swimsuit, through which partner attractiveness (poor versus high) and partner commentary (negative versus positive) were manipulated. Some ANCOVAs were performed on women and men separately. For men, partner commentary affected body dissatisfaction with low body fat. Moreover, the main effect of partner attractiveness was found in their consideration of undergoing cosmetic procedures. Among women, a significant partner attractiveness X partner commentary interaction effect emerged on acceptance of cosmetic surgery for social reasons. As regards relationship quality, for women, there was a main effect of partner attractiveness on relational communication, while a marginally significant interaction effect between partner attractiveness and partner commentary emerged for men’s self-disclosure. Our findings suggest that partner attractiveness is generally beneficial, but when combined with negative feedback concerning the appearance, it might lose its advantages. These findings should be considered for planning interventions aimed at both preventing body dissatisfaction and acceptance of cosmetic surgical procedures for not medical reasons and promoting relationship satisfaction among women and men

    My Exposed Body: Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version of the Social Physique Anxiety Scale-7 among Women

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    Background: Social Physique Anxiety (SPA) is the anxiety resulting from the prospect or presence of the interpersonal evaluation of one’s physique. It is a construct related to body image and body esteem. The Social Physique Anxiety Scale-7 (SPAS-7) is a self-report scale aimed at measuring the degree of anxiety that people experience when others evaluate their physique. Methods: This study aimed to investigate the factor structure (through Confirmatory Factor Analysis followed by multi-group confirmatory factorial analyses), reliability, and convergent validity of an Italian version of the SPAS-7 among a sample of women (N = 520; mean age = 33.5, SD = 10.5). Results: Confirmatory Factor Analysis attested the unidimensional factorial structure of the SPAS-7, which achieved full invariance across age groups. The strength of the inter-relationships between the SPAS-7 and measures of negative (i.e., body dissatisfaction) and positive body image (i.e., body appreciation and body compassion) provided evidence of good convergent validity. The Cronbach’s alpha was very good. Conclusion: According to our results, the Italian version of the SPAS-7 could be a valid and agile instrument for assessing self-presentational concerns associated with body image among Italian-speaking women across age

    The Body Keeps The Social: The Role Of Instagram On Body Image And Its Related Outcomes Among Young Italian Women

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    Although correlational studies showed that Instagram use is associated with negative outcomes related to body image (Feerick, 2021), experiments are scarce. !is study examined the effects of being appreciated on Instagram (numbers of Likes) and knowing whether or not the physical appearance of a person in an Instagram image has been altered (Disclaimer)—on women’s self-awareness, body dissatisfaction, and social physique anxiety. It was used a 2x2 between participants design in which the number of Likes and the image disclaimer were manipulated. Participants were 201 Italian women (M=22; SD=3.69), randomly assigned to different conditions. Findings showed that participants exposed to an Instagram image with many Likes reported higher body dissatisfaction and social physique anxiety (vs. few Likes condition). An interaction effect between the Disclaimer and the number of Likes emerged. When many Likes were associated with an Instagram image, the presence of a Disclaimer reduced women’s self-awareness. These findings suggest that increased media literacy training could be advantageous for young women. Specifically, in the presence of socially accepted Instagram images, providing information about digital enhancements could reduce the attentional focus about one’s own appearance

    Tu come mi vedi? Commenti del partner circa l’aspetto fisico, immagine corporea e soddisfazione di coppia: uno studio empirico

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    La presente ricerca si propone di indagare la relazione tra commenti positivi e negativi sull’aspetto fisico in generale e sul peso corporeo ricevuti dal proprio partner, la soddisfazione di coppia e l’insoddisfazione corporea individuale. A 82 coppie eterosessuali è stato somministrato un questionario volto a misurare le variabili oggetto di studio. Le ipotesi della ricerca sono state testate attraverso una serie di path analysis basate sull’Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, in modo da cogliere le influenze reciproche tra partner. In entrambi i partner, ricevere commenti positivi sul peso sembra diminuire l’insoddisfazione corporea. I commenti negativi su peso e forma corporea ricevuti dalle donne si associano all’insoddisfazione corporea del partner maschile. Per quanto riguarda la soddisfazione di coppia, i commenti sull’aspetto generale ricevuti da ciascun partner si associano a soddisfazione diadica, percezione di comprensione e stima e comunicazione relazionale di colui che li riceve. Nel caso della self-disclosure tale effetto si osserva solo per le donne; per gli uomini i commenti generali positivi ricevuti si associno ad una maggiore self-disclosure delle donne. Da un punto di vista applicativo i risultati suggeriscono come interventi volti a migliorare la soddisfazione di coppia possano essere diretti a migliorare la comunicazione tra partner anche con riferimento all’aspetto fisico. Inoltre, interventi che mirano a ridurre l’insoddisfazione corporea in entrambi i generi dovrebbero considerare il ruolo del partner come fonte significativa di influenza

    Instagram As A Digital Mirror: The Effects of Instagram Likes and Disclaimer Labels on Self-awareness, Body Dissatisfaction, and Social Physique Anxiety Among Young Italian Women

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    This study examined the effects of being appreciated on Instagram (numbers of Likes) and knowing whether or not the physical appearance of a person depicted in an Instagram image has been altered (Disclaimer)—on women’s self-awareness, body dissatisfaction, and social physique anxiety, both independently and in combination. The study used a 2 2 between-participants design in which the number of Likes (Low vs. High) and the image Disclaimer (Presence vs. Absence of information about digital enhancement) were manipulated. Participants, 201 Italian women (M=22; SD=3.69), were randomly assigned to the various conditions. Findings showed that participants exposed to an Instagram image with many Likes reported higher body dissatisfaction and social physique anxiety compared to those with few Likes. Moreover, an interaction effect between the Disclaimer and the number of Likes emerged. When many Likes were associated with an Instagram image, the presence of a Disclaimer was found to reduce women’s self-awareness, lowering levels of attentional focus. These findings suggest that increased media literacy training—designed to foster greater awareness of unrealistic aesthetic ideals—could be advantageous for young women. Specifically, in the presence of socially accepted Instagram images, providing information about digital enhancements could lead to a reduction in attentional focus about one’s own appearance
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