Attachments and Body Image:
An Exploratory Model
Keywords:
Body image, Attachment, Adolescence, Predictive modelAbstract
The present study explored the differential effects of the principal development contexts (attachment to parents and peers) on the way in which adolescents experience their bodies. Six hundred and ninety adolescents and young adults (242 male and 448 female) participated in this study, with ages varying between 15 and 23 years (M = 17,8 and SD= 2,00). The results of the prediction model revealed that gender and romantic attachment were the variables that showed the strongest effect on the variation in body image. A mediation effect was observed among attachment to parents and body image through romantic and friendship relationships. The results highlight the need of understanding body experience in an interpersonal context.
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References
Archibald, A. B. Graber, J. A., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1999). Associations among parent-adolescents relationships, pubertal growth, dieting and body image in young adolescents girls: A short-term longitudinal study. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 9, 395-415.
Armsden, G. C., & Greenberg, M. T. (1987). The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment: Individual differences and their relationship to psychological well-being in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 16, 427-455.
Armstrong, J., & Roth, D. M. (1989). Attachment and separation difficulties in eating disorders: A preliminary investigation. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 8, 141-155.
Ávila, M., Cabral, J., & Matos, P. M. (2008). Parental attachment and romantic relationships: the mediating role of emotion regulation and identity. XI Conference of the European Association of Research on Adolescence. Turim, Itália.
Barbosa, M. R. (2001). A influência da vinculação aos pais na imagem corporal de adolescentes e jovens. Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade do Porto, Porto.
Barbosa, M. R., & Costa, M.E. (2001/2002). A influência da vinculação aos pais na imagem corporal de adolescentes e jovens. Cadernos de Consulta Psicológica, 17/18, 83-94.
Barbosa, M. R., & Costa, M. E. (2003). Body image and attachment to parents in Portuguese adolescents. In E. Palacio-Quintin, J.-M. Bouchard & B. Terrisse (Eds.), Questions d’éducation familiale dans les années 2000 (pp.177-192). Montréal: Les Éditions Logiques.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173-1182.
Bartholomew, K. (1990). Avoidance of intimacy: An attachment perspective. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 7, 147-178.
Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 226-244.
Benedikt, R., Wertheim, E. H., & Love, A. (1998). Eating attitudes and weight-loss attempts in female adolescents and their mothers. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 27, 43-57.
Brennan, K. A., & Shaver, P. R. (1995). Dimensions of adult attachment, affect regulation, and romantic relationship functioning. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 267-283.
Broberg, A. G., Hjalmers, I., & Nevonen, L. (2001). Eating disorders, attachment and interpersonal difficulties: A comparison between 18-to-24 year-old patients and normal controls. European Eating Disorders Review, 9, 381-396.
Bruchon-Schweitzer, M. (1990). Une psychologie du corps. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.
Cash, T. F. (2004). Body image: Past, present, and future. Body Image: An International Journal of Research, 1, 1-5.
Cash, T. F., & Fleming, E. C. (2004). Body image and social relations. In T. F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice (pp.277-286). New York: Guilford Press.
Cash, T. F., & Labarge, A. (1996). Development of the appearance schemas inventory: A new cognitive body-image assessment. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 20, 37-50.
Cash, T., & Pruzinsky, T. (1990). Body Images. Development, Deviance and Change. NY and London: The Guilford Press.
Cash, T. & Pruzinsky, T. (2004). Body Image. A Handbook of theory, research & clinical practice. NY and London: The Guilford Press.
Cash, T. F., Phillips, K. A., Santos, M. T., & Hrabosky, J. I. (2004). Measuring “negative body image”: validation of the Body Image Disturbance Questionnaire in a nonclinical population. Body image, 1, 363-372.
Cash, T. F., Theriault, J., & Annis, N. W. (2003). Body image in an interpersonal context: Adult attachment, fear of intimacy, and social anxiety. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23, 89-103.
Demarest, J., & Allen, R. (2000). Body Image: Gender, ethnic, and age differences. Journal of Social Psychology, 140, 465-72.
Domini, N. L., Johnson, W. B., & Koch, K. (2000). Perception of parental acceptance in women with binge eating disorder. The Journal of Psychology, 134, 23-40.
Evans, L., & Wertheim, E. H. (2005). Attachment styles in adult intimate relationships: Comparing women with bulimia nervosa symptoms, women with depression and women with no clinical symptoms. European Eating Disorders Review, 13, 285-293.
Franzoi, S. L., & Shields, S. (1984). The Body Esteem Scale: Multidimensional structure and sex differences in a college population. Journal of Personality Assessment, 48, 173-178.
Garner, D. M. (1991). Eating Disorder Inventory-2. Professional Manual. USA: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.
Gaspar, N. M. (1999). Estudo da Imagem Corporal na Adolescência. Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra.
Gerner, B., & Wilson, P. H. (2005). The relationship between friendship factors and adolescent girls’ body image concern, body dissatisfaction, and restrained eating. International Journal of eating disorders, 37, 313-320.
Green, S. P., & Pritchard, M. E. (2003). Predicting body image dissatisfaction in adult men and women. Social Behavior and Personality, 31, 215-222.
Grogan, S. (1999). Body Image. London: Routhledge.
Kearney-Cooke, A. (2004). Familial influences on body image development. In T. F. Cash, & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice (pp. 99-107). New York: Guilford Press.
Lieberman, M., Gauvin, L., Bukowski, W., & White, D. R. (2001). Interpersonal influence and disordered eating behaviours in adolescent girls: The role of peer modelling, social reinforcement, and body-related teasing. Eating Behaviours, 2, 215-236.
Lunner, K., Wertheim, E. H., Thompson, J. K., Paxton, S. J., McDonald, F., & Halvarsson, R. (2000). A cross-cultural investigation of the role of teasing, and weight and dieting concerns in adolescent girls from Sweden and Australia. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 48, 430-435.
Markey, C. N., & Markey, P. M. (2005). Relations between body image and dieting behaviors: An exploration of gender differences. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 53, 519-530.
Matos, P. M. (2002). (Des)continuidades na vinculação aos pais e ao par amoroso em adolescentes. Tese de Doutorado, Universidade do Porto, Porto.
Matos, P. M. (2006). Relações românticas em adolescentes. Psychologica, 41, 9-24.
Matos, P. M., Almeida, H. M., & Costa (1998). Dimensions of attachment to mother and father in Portuguese adolescents. Poster presented on 6th Biennial Conference of the European Association for Research on Adolescence, Budapest, Hungria.
Matos, P. M., Barbosa, S., & Costa, M. E. (1998). Avaliação da vinculação amorosa em adolescentes e jovens adultos: Construção de um instrumento e estudos exploratórios. Comunicação apresentada na Conferência Internacional de Avaliação Psicológica, Formas e Contextos. Salamanca, Espanha.
Matos, P. M., Barbosa, S., & Costa, M. E. (1999). Representations of attachment to parents and to romantic partners in Portuguese late adolescents. Comunicação apresentada no VI Congresso Europeu de Psicologia, Roma, Itália.
Matos, P. M. & Costa, M. E. (2006). Vinculação aos pais e ao par romântico em adolescentes. Psicologia, 20(1), 97-126.
McCabe, M. P., & Ricciardelli, L. A. (2001). Body image and body change techniques among young adolescent boys. European Eating Disorders Review, 9, 335-347.
McKinley, N. M., & Randa, L. A. (2005). Adult attachment and body satisfaction. An exploration of general and specific relationship differences. Body Image, 2, 209-218.
Muth, J. L., & Cash, T. F. (1997). Body-image attitudes: What differences does gender make? Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 27, 1438-1452.
O’Dea, J., & Abraham, S. (1999). Association between self-concept and body weight, gender, and pubertal development among male and female adolescents. Adolescence, 34, 69-79.
Okine, K. N. (2000). The relationship aspects of eating disorder symptomatology. Dissertation Abstracts International, 61, 32-87.
Pike, K. M. (1995). Bulimic symptomatology in high school girls. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 19, 373-396.
Ricciardelli, L. A., & McCabe, M. P. (2003). Sociocultural and individual influences on muscle gain and weight loss strategies among adolescent boys and girls. Psychology in the Schools, 40, 209-224.
Ricciardelli, L. A., McCabe, M. P., & Banfield, S. (2000). Sociocultural influences on body change methods in adolescent boys. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 49, 189-197.
Rocha, M. (2008). O desenvolvimento das relações de vinculação na adolescência: associações entre contextos relacionais com pais, pares e par amoroso. Tese de Doutorado, Universidade do Porto, Porto.
Rocha, M., & Matos, P. M. (2007). Qualidade da vinculação e adaptação escolar: qual o papel da auto-estima? XI Congresso Internacional de Educação Familiar, Universidade de Coimbra, Abril. Coimbra, Portugal.
Rowe, K. (2002). The measurement of latent and composite variables from multiple items or indicators: Applications in performance indicator systems. Background paper prepared for keynote address presented for the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Statistics Seminar Series.
Sharpe, T. M., Killen, J. D., Bryson, S. W., Shisslak, C. M., Estes, L. S., Gray, N., Crago, M., & Taylor, C. B. (1998). Attachment style and weight concerns in preadolescent and adolescent girls. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 23, 39-44.
Sprecher, S., McKinney, K., & Orbuch, T. L. (1991). The effects of current sexual behavior on friendship, dating, and marriage desirability. The Journal of Sex Research, 28, 387-408.
Stice, E., & Whitenton, K. (2002). Risk factors for body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls: A longitudinal investigation. Developmental Psychology, 38, 669-678.
Suldo, S. & Sandberg, D. (2000). Relationship between attachment styles and eating disorder symptomatology among college women. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 15, 59-73.
Tantleff-Dunn, S., & Gokee, J. L. (2004). Interpersonal influences on body image development. In T. F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice (pp. 108-116). New York: Guilford Press.
Thompson, J. K. (1996). Body image, eating disorders, and obesity: An integrative guide for assessment and treatment. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Ward, A., Ramsay, R., & Treasure, J. (2000). Attachment research and eating disorders. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 73, 35-51.
Armsden, G. C., & Greenberg, M. T. (1987). The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment: Individual differences and their relationship to psychological well-being in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 16, 427-455.
Armstrong, J., & Roth, D. M. (1989). Attachment and separation difficulties in eating disorders: A preliminary investigation. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 8, 141-155.
Ávila, M., Cabral, J., & Matos, P. M. (2008). Parental attachment and romantic relationships: the mediating role of emotion regulation and identity. XI Conference of the European Association of Research on Adolescence. Turim, Itália.
Barbosa, M. R. (2001). A influência da vinculação aos pais na imagem corporal de adolescentes e jovens. Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade do Porto, Porto.
Barbosa, M. R., & Costa, M.E. (2001/2002). A influência da vinculação aos pais na imagem corporal de adolescentes e jovens. Cadernos de Consulta Psicológica, 17/18, 83-94.
Barbosa, M. R., & Costa, M. E. (2003). Body image and attachment to parents in Portuguese adolescents. In E. Palacio-Quintin, J.-M. Bouchard & B. Terrisse (Eds.), Questions d’éducation familiale dans les années 2000 (pp.177-192). Montréal: Les Éditions Logiques.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173-1182.
Bartholomew, K. (1990). Avoidance of intimacy: An attachment perspective. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 7, 147-178.
Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 226-244.
Benedikt, R., Wertheim, E. H., & Love, A. (1998). Eating attitudes and weight-loss attempts in female adolescents and their mothers. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 27, 43-57.
Brennan, K. A., & Shaver, P. R. (1995). Dimensions of adult attachment, affect regulation, and romantic relationship functioning. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 267-283.
Broberg, A. G., Hjalmers, I., & Nevonen, L. (2001). Eating disorders, attachment and interpersonal difficulties: A comparison between 18-to-24 year-old patients and normal controls. European Eating Disorders Review, 9, 381-396.
Bruchon-Schweitzer, M. (1990). Une psychologie du corps. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.
Cash, T. F. (2004). Body image: Past, present, and future. Body Image: An International Journal of Research, 1, 1-5.
Cash, T. F., & Fleming, E. C. (2004). Body image and social relations. In T. F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice (pp.277-286). New York: Guilford Press.
Cash, T. F., & Labarge, A. (1996). Development of the appearance schemas inventory: A new cognitive body-image assessment. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 20, 37-50.
Cash, T., & Pruzinsky, T. (1990). Body Images. Development, Deviance and Change. NY and London: The Guilford Press.
Cash, T. & Pruzinsky, T. (2004). Body Image. A Handbook of theory, research & clinical practice. NY and London: The Guilford Press.
Cash, T. F., Phillips, K. A., Santos, M. T., & Hrabosky, J. I. (2004). Measuring “negative body image”: validation of the Body Image Disturbance Questionnaire in a nonclinical population. Body image, 1, 363-372.
Cash, T. F., Theriault, J., & Annis, N. W. (2003). Body image in an interpersonal context: Adult attachment, fear of intimacy, and social anxiety. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23, 89-103.
Demarest, J., & Allen, R. (2000). Body Image: Gender, ethnic, and age differences. Journal of Social Psychology, 140, 465-72.
Domini, N. L., Johnson, W. B., & Koch, K. (2000). Perception of parental acceptance in women with binge eating disorder. The Journal of Psychology, 134, 23-40.
Evans, L., & Wertheim, E. H. (2005). Attachment styles in adult intimate relationships: Comparing women with bulimia nervosa symptoms, women with depression and women with no clinical symptoms. European Eating Disorders Review, 13, 285-293.
Franzoi, S. L., & Shields, S. (1984). The Body Esteem Scale: Multidimensional structure and sex differences in a college population. Journal of Personality Assessment, 48, 173-178.
Garner, D. M. (1991). Eating Disorder Inventory-2. Professional Manual. USA: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc.
Gaspar, N. M. (1999). Estudo da Imagem Corporal na Adolescência. Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra.
Gerner, B., & Wilson, P. H. (2005). The relationship between friendship factors and adolescent girls’ body image concern, body dissatisfaction, and restrained eating. International Journal of eating disorders, 37, 313-320.
Green, S. P., & Pritchard, M. E. (2003). Predicting body image dissatisfaction in adult men and women. Social Behavior and Personality, 31, 215-222.
Grogan, S. (1999). Body Image. London: Routhledge.
Kearney-Cooke, A. (2004). Familial influences on body image development. In T. F. Cash, & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice (pp. 99-107). New York: Guilford Press.
Lieberman, M., Gauvin, L., Bukowski, W., & White, D. R. (2001). Interpersonal influence and disordered eating behaviours in adolescent girls: The role of peer modelling, social reinforcement, and body-related teasing. Eating Behaviours, 2, 215-236.
Lunner, K., Wertheim, E. H., Thompson, J. K., Paxton, S. J., McDonald, F., & Halvarsson, R. (2000). A cross-cultural investigation of the role of teasing, and weight and dieting concerns in adolescent girls from Sweden and Australia. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 48, 430-435.
Markey, C. N., & Markey, P. M. (2005). Relations between body image and dieting behaviors: An exploration of gender differences. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 53, 519-530.
Matos, P. M. (2002). (Des)continuidades na vinculação aos pais e ao par amoroso em adolescentes. Tese de Doutorado, Universidade do Porto, Porto.
Matos, P. M. (2006). Relações românticas em adolescentes. Psychologica, 41, 9-24.
Matos, P. M., Almeida, H. M., & Costa (1998). Dimensions of attachment to mother and father in Portuguese adolescents. Poster presented on 6th Biennial Conference of the European Association for Research on Adolescence, Budapest, Hungria.
Matos, P. M., Barbosa, S., & Costa, M. E. (1998). Avaliação da vinculação amorosa em adolescentes e jovens adultos: Construção de um instrumento e estudos exploratórios. Comunicação apresentada na Conferência Internacional de Avaliação Psicológica, Formas e Contextos. Salamanca, Espanha.
Matos, P. M., Barbosa, S., & Costa, M. E. (1999). Representations of attachment to parents and to romantic partners in Portuguese late adolescents. Comunicação apresentada no VI Congresso Europeu de Psicologia, Roma, Itália.
Matos, P. M. & Costa, M. E. (2006). Vinculação aos pais e ao par romântico em adolescentes. Psicologia, 20(1), 97-126.
McCabe, M. P., & Ricciardelli, L. A. (2001). Body image and body change techniques among young adolescent boys. European Eating Disorders Review, 9, 335-347.
McKinley, N. M., & Randa, L. A. (2005). Adult attachment and body satisfaction. An exploration of general and specific relationship differences. Body Image, 2, 209-218.
Muth, J. L., & Cash, T. F. (1997). Body-image attitudes: What differences does gender make? Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 27, 1438-1452.
O’Dea, J., & Abraham, S. (1999). Association between self-concept and body weight, gender, and pubertal development among male and female adolescents. Adolescence, 34, 69-79.
Okine, K. N. (2000). The relationship aspects of eating disorder symptomatology. Dissertation Abstracts International, 61, 32-87.
Pike, K. M. (1995). Bulimic symptomatology in high school girls. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 19, 373-396.
Ricciardelli, L. A., & McCabe, M. P. (2003). Sociocultural and individual influences on muscle gain and weight loss strategies among adolescent boys and girls. Psychology in the Schools, 40, 209-224.
Ricciardelli, L. A., McCabe, M. P., & Banfield, S. (2000). Sociocultural influences on body change methods in adolescent boys. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 49, 189-197.
Rocha, M. (2008). O desenvolvimento das relações de vinculação na adolescência: associações entre contextos relacionais com pais, pares e par amoroso. Tese de Doutorado, Universidade do Porto, Porto.
Rocha, M., & Matos, P. M. (2007). Qualidade da vinculação e adaptação escolar: qual o papel da auto-estima? XI Congresso Internacional de Educação Familiar, Universidade de Coimbra, Abril. Coimbra, Portugal.
Rowe, K. (2002). The measurement of latent and composite variables from multiple items or indicators: Applications in performance indicator systems. Background paper prepared for keynote address presented for the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Statistics Seminar Series.
Sharpe, T. M., Killen, J. D., Bryson, S. W., Shisslak, C. M., Estes, L. S., Gray, N., Crago, M., & Taylor, C. B. (1998). Attachment style and weight concerns in preadolescent and adolescent girls. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 23, 39-44.
Sprecher, S., McKinney, K., & Orbuch, T. L. (1991). The effects of current sexual behavior on friendship, dating, and marriage desirability. The Journal of Sex Research, 28, 387-408.
Stice, E., & Whitenton, K. (2002). Risk factors for body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls: A longitudinal investigation. Developmental Psychology, 38, 669-678.
Suldo, S. & Sandberg, D. (2000). Relationship between attachment styles and eating disorder symptomatology among college women. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 15, 59-73.
Tantleff-Dunn, S., & Gokee, J. L. (2004). Interpersonal influences on body image development. In T. F. Cash & T. Pruzinsky (Eds.), Body image: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice (pp. 108-116). New York: Guilford Press.
Thompson, J. K. (1996). Body image, eating disorders, and obesity: An integrative guide for assessment and treatment. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Ward, A., Ramsay, R., & Treasure, J. (2000). Attachment research and eating disorders. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 73, 35-51.
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Published
2011-09-22
How to Cite
Barbosa, M. R., Mena Matos, P., & Costa, M. E. (2011). Attachments and Body Image:: An Exploratory Model. Psicologia: Teoria E Pesquisa, 27(3), 273–282. Retrieved from https://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/revistaptp/article/view/17534
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Estudos Empíricos
