Lange, Niklas (2023) Disentangling the Relationships Between Upward Social Comparison Frequency, Weight-loss Dieting, External Body Shame and Fear of Negative Evaluation in College Women: A Moderated Mediation Analysis. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
The present study aimed to explore the relationship between the frequency of upward social comparisons and the intent for restrictive weight-loss dieting among a sample of college women. We hypothesized that this relationship would be mediated by external body shame and further moderated by the fear of negative evaluation. In this proposed moderated mediation model, we anticipated that higher frequencies of upward social comparisons and a greater fear of negative evaluation would result in increased external body shame, subsequently leading to a higher intent for restrictive weight-loss dieting. A total of 227 female international college students participated in the study by completing an online self-report questionnaire via Qualtrics. The bootstrapping analysis conducted via PROCESS in SPSS did not significantly support the hypothesized moderated mediation model. However, in an exploratory analysis, external body shame was found to mediate the relationship between fear of negative evaluation and restrictive weight-loss dieting. Additionally, external body shame mediated the relationship between upward social comparison frequency and restrictive weight-loss dieting, but only when body dissatisfaction was not controlled for. These findings suggest that women with a high fear of negative evaluation are particularly susceptible to the development of external body shame and its subsequent impact as a motivator for weight-loss dieting. Moreover, frequent engagement in upward social comparisons may elicit a range of emotional responses, including external body shame, but predominantly leads to self-directed discontent as manifested in body dissatisfaction. Future research should further look into the mechanisms that make women with high fear of negative evaluation vulnerable to the development of external body shame and develop suitable interventions. Keywords: upward social comparison, external body shame, fear of negative evaluation, weight-loss dieting, disordered eating
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
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| Supervisor name: | Dalley, S.E. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 21 Jul 2023 09:21 |
| Last Modified: | 21 Jul 2023 09:21 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/2523 |
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