Testing moderation and mediation models of the relationships between self-objectification and disordered eating and risky sexual behaviors

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  • March 21, 2019
Creator
  • Higgins, Mary K.
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
Abstract
  • Self-objectification has been linked to disordered eating in a number of studies, and body shame is a well-documented mediator of this relationship. The relationship between self-objectification and risky sexual behaviors has been examined much less, although preliminary studies have provided support for this linkage. Due to the limited evidence for this relationship, as well as the lack of moderator findings for both relationships, we probed these relationships further by looking at (1) body shame and sexual self-efficacy as moderators of the relationships between self-objectification and disordered eating and risky sexual behaviors (2) body shame and sexual self-efficacy as mediators of the relationships between self-objectification and disordered eating and risky sexual behaviors. An existing dataset of 441 female undergraduates was analyzed using regression to test for moderation and path analysis to test for mediation. Results indicated that the moderators/mediators generally adhered most closely to the dependent variables of related content (i.e., body shame with disordered eating, sexual self-efficacy with risky sexual behaviors). The moderation models showed more crossover, whereas the mediation models had the most conceptually consistent findings. These results suggest a linkage between the eating disorder and risky sexual behavior literatures, and clinical implications and future directions are discussed.
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  • ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in the Department of Psychology.
Advisor
  • Bardone-Cone, Anna
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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