Abstract

GRANERO-GALLEGOS, Antonio et al. Sociocultural pressure towards body ideals on social physique anxiety in preadolescents: a longitudinal study. Psychology, Society & Education [online]. 2023, vol.15, n.2, pp.10-18.  Epub Mar 18, 2024. ISSN 1989-709X.  https://dx.doi.org/10.21071/psye.v15i2.16129.

The affective aversive response derived from considering that one’s own body might be negatively evaluated (i.e., social-physique anxiety) has been identified as an important antecedent of various health consequences. However, the connection between sociocultural pressures orienting towards prevailing Western body ideals and physical-social anxiety remains to date unexplored. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effects of sociocultural pressure towards thin body and mesomorphic body ideals perceived from three different sources (i.e., media, family, and peers) on social-physique anxiety in a sample of preadolescents. A longitudinal design and a non-probabilistic convenience sampling technique were used. A total of 651 students (50.4% girls) from 12 schools enrolled in the study. Self-report data were collected on two occasions over a 12-month period, which coincided with the 6th year of primary school and the 1st year of Compulsory Secondary Education. Statistical analyses involved testing different multilevel regression models (Linear Mixed Regression Models). The results showed a gender-differentiated pattern of influence of socio-cultural pressure on social-physique anxiety. The perception of pressure towards the mesomorphic body ideal originating in the media explained social-physique anxiety in boys, while the same was true for the perception of pressure towards the thin body ideal originating in the family in girls. The findings suggest that actions aimed at preventing the onset of social-physique anxiety in preadolescents could benefit from adopting a gender-differentiated perspective.

Keywords : Social anxiety; Body image; Stereotypes; Gender roles; Tripartite model; Thin body; Mesomorphic body.

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