Influence of visual media and social-support networks on disordered eating behavior

The thin body image portrayed as ideal in Western culture contributes to both mental and physical health issues. Self-surveillance (the process of appearance evaluation based on the internalized thin-ideal) and body shame (feelings of shame when one's body does not conform to the thin-ideal) can result in subsequent disordered-eating behavior. Approximately 10% of female undergraduates suffer from a clinical or sub-clinical eating disorder.

The current study sought to understand the influence of various sociocultural factors that communicate this thin-ideal. We explored the influence of visual media (e.g., television, movies, magazines) and social-support networks (e.g., friends and family) on body-image preoccupation (self-surveillance and body shame) and disordered-eating behavior. Four-hundred seventy-eight, predominately Caucasian, undergraduate females at a mid-Atlantic university completed instruments that assessed these sociocultural factors, internalization of the thin-ideal, self-surveillance and body shame, and disordered-eating behaviors. Path analysis indicated that visual media and one's social-support network were significantly related to the mental health outcomes of self-surveillance and body shame via the internalization of the thin-ideal. Furthermore, body shame was significantly related to disordered-eating behaviors.

Understanding the critical influence of the social-support network and visual media on young women's mental health and subsequent disorder-eating behavior is essential to addressing this public health concern. Developing comprehensive educational programs using a multipronged approach to underscore both the role of social support and visual media in potentially cultivating body shame are essential. Future research should focus on the directionality of these relationships in order to better inform the focus of preventative efforts.