An international study of correlates of women’s positive body image

• Sandra Torres ^[1] ; Carolina A. Araújo ^[1] ; Amanda Fitzgerald ^[2] ; Barbara Dooley ^[2] ; Angeliki Leondari ^[3] ; Cátia Miriam Costa ; Dorit Olenik Shemesh ^[4] ; Efthymia Sygkollitou ^[5] ; Josip Burusic ; Liesbet Boone ^[6] ; Marijana Šuvak Martinovi´c ^[7] ; Maritta Välimäki ^[8] ; Minna Anttila ^[9] ; Tali Heiman ^[4] ; Toni Babarovi´c
  1. [1] Universidade Do Porto

     Universidade Do Porto

     Santo Ildefonso, Portugal

     
  2. [2] University College Dublin

     University College Dublin

     Irlanda

     
  3. [3] University Of Thessaly

     University Of Thessaly

     Dimos Volos, Grecia

     
  4. [4] Open University of Israel

     Open University of Israel

     Israel

     
  5. [5] Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

     Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

     Dimos Thessaloniki, Grecia

     
  6. [6] Ghent University

     Ghent University

     Arrondissement Gent, Bélgica

     
  7. [7] University of Mostar

     University of Mostar

     Bosnia y Herzegovina

     
  8. [8] Central South University

     Central South University

     China

     
  9. [9] University of Turku

     University of Turku

     Turku, Finlandia

     

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• Localización: EJIHPE: European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, ISSN 2174-8144, ISSN-e 2254-9625, Vol. 12, Nº. 10, 2022, págs. 1521-1534
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Positive body image (PBI) has received attention in the recent research literature. Despite this, its role in daily functioning in different cultural contexts, particularly its potential relationship with academic outcomes, is still lacking. This study aimed to offer an international perspective on the association between PBI and body mass index (BMI), perceived academic achievement, and educational aspirations, as well as the mediating role of self-esteem. A cross-national study was conducted in eight European countries with a total of 2653 female university students. Participants completed an online survey measuring PBI (conceptualized as body appreciation), self-esteem, perceived academic achievement and aspirations, and body mass index (BMI). Results revealed differences in PBI between countries (low magnitude). PBI correlated negatively with BMI in all national groups (low-to-moderate magnitude). Mediation analysis showed that self-esteem mediated the association between PBI and academic variables. Findings from this study suggest that building students’ self-esteem and PBI can be a suitable way to boost academic success.