Effects of dieting history saliency on self-esteem and perceived body image in college women

• Published in: Appetite Vol. 49; no. 1; p. 276
• Main Authors: Baird, J.P., Mcintyre, R., Theim, K.R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-07-2007
• ISSN: 0195-6663; 1095-8304
• DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2007.03.024

Body image dissatisfaction and low self-esteem are central factors in developing eating disorders. Experimentally induced dieting failures lead to decreases in self-esteem, which may make subsequent restraint efforts more difficult. To the extent that this is a cognitively mediated process, an introspective review on one's attempts at dieting (and failures) could decrease self-esteem and increase body image dissatisfaction. To evaluate this hypothesis, 64 college women first reported their perceived body size and completed a measure of self-esteem. Two weeks later, they completed measures assessing food- and weight-related issues (restraint, disinhibition, hunger, body image dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, and dieting history/success). Immediately afterwards, they again reported their perceived body size and self-esteem. Self-esteem was decreased by making dieting history salient (
p=0.06). Women also reported slightly larger body sizes after being queried of their dieting history (mean increase=3%), but the difference was not statistically significant. Changes in perceived body size, however, were significantly associated with changes in self-esteem, as indicated by repeated-measures ANCOVA (
p<0.05). Additionally, change in self-esteem was negatively correlated with change in perceived body size (
p<0.05). Further analysis revealed that the number of diets women reported was associated with larger perceptions of body image over time (
â=.375,
p=0.057), and the incongruence between women's actual-ideal weights co-varied with the number of dieting attempts (
â=0.46,
p=0.02). Finally, self-esteem change significantly predicted body image change, (
â=−0.26,
p=0.02.). The results suggest that thinking of diet history and eating introduces subtle negative challenges to self-esteem that may thwart efforts at dietary restraint, or contribute to other eating-disorder relevant cognitive processes. Supported by Amherst College.