Title:
The effects of fat talk on body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, mood, eating behavior, and interpersonal closeness
Author:
Alyssa M. Compeau
Thesis Advisor:
Alison Papadakis
Committee Member:
Beth A. Kotchick
Committee Member:
Rachel Grover
Committee Member:
James Miracky
Committee Member:
Theresa DiDonato
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2013
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
born digital
Abstract:
Fat talk refers to the normalized and socially acceptable comments that degrade the body's shape, weight, and size. Previous research suggests that these negative body conversations may have adverse effects on body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, mood, and eating behavior, as well as positive effects on interpersonal closeness; however, the effects of engaging in fat talk has not yet been examined, partially due to the lack of an experimental manipulation for fat talk. As such, the current study aimed to examine the effects of engaging in fat talk comments on body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, mood, eating behavior, and interpersonal closeness. Undergraduate women (N = 116) were randomized to either a fat talk or control condition, in which a female confederate either elicited or did not elicit fat talk comments from the participants during a one-on-one interview. Afterwards, participants completed an online survey about their body dissatisfaction, dietary restraint, self-esteem, negative affect, and interpersonal closeness while being concurrently presented with the food stimulus. Results supported a revised version of the hypothesized model. As predicted, dietary restraint was positively associated with body dissatisfaction and negatively associated with self-esteem. Body dissatisfaction was negatively associated with self-esteem, which in turn predicted negative affect and calories consumed. Contrary to predictions, individuals in the fat talk condition reported higher state self-esteem compared to controls. Furthermore, there was an interaction between condition and dietary restraint in the prediction of negative affect. Within the fat talk condition, participants with high dietary restraint reported higher negative affect compared to lower dietary restraint participants, whereas there was no relation in the control condition. These findings highlight the potential positive as well as negative effects of fat talk, and the importance of individual characteristics in shaping an individual's response to fat talk comments.
Degree:
Master of Science
Level:
Master
Discipline:
Clinical Psychology
Restrictions on Access:
Author has given permission to make this work available online.
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Identifier:
CompeauAM-13
