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Understanding the Role of Self-Judgment in the Association between Body Dissatisfaction and Quality of Life on Normal-Weight and Overweight Portuguese Women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 March 2016

Cláudia Ferreira ,
Patrícia Fortunato ,
Joana Marta-Simões Open the ORCID record for Joana Marta-Simões [Opens in a new window]  and
Inês A. Trindade
Cláudia Ferreira
Affiliation:
Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal)
Patrícia Fortunato
Affiliation:
Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal)
Joana Marta-Simões
Affiliation:
Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal)
Inês A. Trindade*
Affiliation:
Universidade de Coimbra (Portugal)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Inês A. Trindade. CINEICC - Cognitive and Behavioral Centre for Research and Intervention. Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences. University of Coimbra - (Portugal). E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Literature has demonstrated the negative impact of body image dissatisfaction on women’s quality of life. Nonetheless, it has been suggested that the relationship between body dissatisfaction and women’s well-being is not linear, and that the processes that mediate this association remain unclear. This study aims to clarify the mediator role of self-judgment in the association between negative body image and psychological quality of life, in two groups: normal-weight and overweight women. This cross-sectional study comprised 200 normal-weight and 92 overweight female college students, aged between 18 and 24 years old, that completed self-report instruments of body dissatisfaction, self-judgment, and quality of life. Results showed that women who presented harsher self-judgment about their perceived failures tended to present lower levels in all quality of life domains. Also, results from mediation analyses indicated the relationship between body dissatisfaction and psychological quality of life was significantly mediated by the mechanisms of self-judgment in the two BMI groups (95% CI [–2.41 to –0.04]; 95% CI [–6.35 to –.89]). This mediational model accounted for 28.3% and 40.7% of psychological quality of life in the normal-weight and overweight groups, respectively. These results suggest that a lower ability to deal with one’s failures or inadequacies (e.g., negative evaluation of body image) in a kind and accepting manner may significantly increase the negative impact of body dissatisfaction on one’s psychological quality of life. In this way, it seems that, the focus of interventions should go beyond body dissatisfaction and also target the development of adaptive attitudes (opposed to self-critical attitudes) to deal with negative body-related experiences.

Keywords

body dissatisfactionquality of lifeself-judgmentoverweightcollege women
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 19 , 2016 , E15
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2016 

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