Role of Peer Influence and Thin-ideal Internalization on Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating in Mexican Girls Rol de la Influencia de Pares y de la Interiorización del Ideal de Delgadez sobre la Insatisfacción Corporal y Alimentación No Saludable en Jóvenes Mexicanas O Papel da Influência de Pares e da Interiorização do Ideal de Delgadeza na Insatisfação Corporal e na Alimentação Não Saudável em Jovens Mexicanas Juan Manuel Mancilla-Díaz Xochitl López-Aguilar Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F. Karina Franco-Paredes Universidad de Guadalajara, México Georgina Alvarez-Rayón Rosalía Vázquez-Arévalo María T. Ocampo Téllez-Girón Adriana Amaya-Hernández Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F. Abstract Resumen Resumo The aim of this study was to examine the role Con el objetivo de examinar el rol de la influencia Com o objetivo de examinar o papel da influência of peer influence and thin-ideal internaliza- de pares y de la interiorización del ideal de delgadez de pares e da interiorização do ideal de delgadeza tion on body dissatisfaction and disordered sobre la insatisfacción corporal y la alimentación na insatisfação corporal e na alimentação não sau- eating. The Eating Attitudes Test, the Body no saludable en una muestra comunitaria, se aplicó dável em uma amostra comunitária, aplicou-se o Shape Questionnaire and the Questionnaire of el Test de Actitudes Alimentarias, el Cuestionario de Teste de Atitudes Alimentares, o Questionário de Sociocultural Influences on the Aesthetic Body Imagen Corporal y el Cuestionario de Influencias Imagem Corporal e o Questionário de Influências Shape Model were administered to 130 female del Modelo Estético Corporal a 130 mujeres es- do Modelo Estético Corporal a 130 mulheres es- students, with a mean age of 19.44. The results tudiantes, cuya media de edad fue de 19.44 años. tudantes, cuja média de idade foi de 19.44 anos. showed that thin-ideal internalization media- El análisis de datos reveló que la interiorización A análise de dados revelou que a interiorização ted the relationship between peer influence and del ideal de delgadez medió la relación entre la do ideal de delgadeza mediou a relação entre body dissatisfaction (β=0.14, p>.05), and the re- influencia de pares y la insatisfacción corporal a influência de pares e a insatisfação corporal lationship between peer influence and disordered (β=0.14, p>.05), así como la relación entre la in- (β=0.14, p>.05), assim como a relação entre a eating (β=0.09, p>.05). This study supports the fluencia de pares y la alimentación no saludable influência de pares e a alimentação não saudá- hypothesis that the thin-ideal internalization is (β=0.09, p>.05). Este estudio apoya la hipótesis vel (β=0.09, p>.05). Este estudo apoia a hipótese an important mediator on body dissatisfaction de que la interiorización del ideal de delgadez es de que a interiorização do ideal de delgadeza é and disordered eating in Mexican girls. un importante mediador sobre la insatisfacción um importante mediador na insatisfação cor- corporal y la alimentación no saludable en jóve- poral e na alimentação não saudável em jovens nes mexicanas. mexicanas. Keywords: peer influence, thin-ideal internali- Palabras clave: influencia de pares, interioriza- Palavras-chave: influência de pares, interiori- zation, body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, ción del ideal de delgadez, insatisfacción corpo- zação do ideal de delgadeza, insatisfação corpo- young women. ral, alimentación no saludable, mujeres jóvenes. ral, alimentação não saudável, mulheres jovens. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Juan Manuel Mancilla-Díaz, e-mail: [email protected]. Eating Disorders Laboratory, División de Investigación y Posgrado, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México FES-Iztacala, Av. de los Barrios n°1, Los Reyes Iztacala, Tlalnepantla CP 54090, México. Scientific research article Received: 8 march 2012 - Accepted: 28 august 2012 * We thank CONACyT, Grant 131865 for the financial support to Dr. Juan Manuel Mancilla-Díaz. REVISTA COLOMBIANA DE PSICOLOGÍA VOL. 21 No. 2 JULY-DECEMBER 2012 ISSN 0121-5469 BOGOTÁ COLOMBIA PP. 343-353 J. M. MANCILLA-DÍAZ, X. LÓPEZ-AGUILAR, K. FRANCO-PAREDES, G. ALVAREZ-RAYÓN, R. VÁZQUEZ-ARÉVALO, 344 M. T. OCAMPO TÉLLEZ-GIRÓN, & A. AMAYA-HERNÁNDEZ Disordered eating behaviors have Among the sociocultural influences in- been reported and described throughout his- creasing the effect of the dominant body model, tory (Stice, 2001). However, the spiritual moti- it is possible to identify family characteristics vation often described in the past (Lacey, 1982) (Haworth-Hoeppner, 2000; Huon & Walton, contrasts with the desire for thinness currently 2000; Le Grange, Lock, Loeb, & Nicholls, observed in people with unhealthy eating beha- 2009; Schur, Sanders, & Steiner, 1999; Smolak, viors, such as dietary restriction, binge eating Levine, & Schermer, 1999), advertising (Sabis- and some compensatory behaviors. Factors ton & Chandler, 2010; Toro, Cervera, & Pérez, that seem to be involved in the development of 1988; Watson, Wells, & Hudson, 2011), the role eating disorders (ED) are now different than in of magazine articles (Utter, Neumark-Sztainer, the past (Cooley & Toray, 2001; Tylka & Subich, Wall, & Story, 2003), the images presented in 2004). Among other factors, the literature iden- media (Groesz, Levine, & Murnen, 2002; Mar- tifies the effect of biological, individual, cog- tínez-González et al., 2003, Wertheim, Paxton, nitive, behavioral and sociocultural elements. Schutz, & Muir, 1997; Yamamiya, Cash, Melnyk, Among these elements, sociocultural influences Posavak, & Posavac, 2005) and the effect of peer are considered one of the main factors impac- pressure (Helfert & Warschburger, 2011; Pax- ting the internalization of thinness as a model ton, Schutz, Wertheim, & Muir, 1999; Stice et for the ideal body (Toro, 2004). This model is al., 2003; Van Tergouw, 2011). In relation to peer present when a person adopts or accepts the influence, it has been reported that women, be- social norms about appearance and engages tween the ages of 9 and 30, consider their peers in behaviors to emulate social ideals (Thomp- as one of the main sources of information about son & Stice, 2001). Stice (2002) performed a diets and weight control (Clark & Tiggemann, meta-analysis in which he reviewed the factors 2008; Desmond, Price, Gray, & O,Connell, increasing the risk of eating pathologies, and 1986; Jones, Vigfusdottir, & Lee, 2004; Sinton & found that the thin-ideal internalization con- Birch, 2006; Stice et al., 2003). Likewise, it has tributes to the presence of body dissatisfaction been reported a stronger influence (Ata, Lud- and eating pathology in samples of adolescents den, & Lally, 2007; McCabe & Ricciardelli, 2001, and children. This idea was confirmed in sub- 2005; Wadden, Brown, Foster, & Linowitz, 1991) sequent studies with American and Australian of peers in the definition of ideal weight, body women, among 9 and 30 years old (Clark & Ti- shape and popularity for women than for men. ggemann, 2006; Krones, Stice, Batres, & Orjada, Although the effect of peer influence on body 2005; Stice, Maxfield, & Wells, 2003). dissatisfaction has been documented in women In the dominant culture, thinness has been and men of different ages (Clark & Tiggemann, exalted to such an extent that a significant num- 2006; Dohnt & Tiggemann, 2005; Gerner & ber of people, mainly young women and adoles- Wilson, 2005; Helfert & Warschburger, 2011; cents, have a marked dissatisfaction with their Phares, Steinberg, & Thompson, 2004), body body shape and weight (Espina, Ortego, Ochoa, dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors Yenes, & Alemán, 2001; McCabe & Ricciardelli, have a higher prevalence on certain groups, such 2004; Merino, Pombo, & Godás, 2001). This fact as adolescents. Additionally, it has been identi- increases the frequency of disordered eating fied the existence of different prevalence rates behaviors and the risk of developing an ED, as of disordered eating in different countries. This defined the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of fact is explained, from the sociocultural model, Mental Disorders Text Revised (DSM-IV-TR of in terms of different cultural expectations about the APA, 2000). body size (Austin & Smith, 2008). DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY HUMAN SCIENCES SCHOOL UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA PEER INFLUENCES AND THIN-IDEAL INTERNALIZATION 345 Regarding the idea of different cultural Participants ranged from 18 to 22 years. All the expectations about body size, authors such as participants signed an informed consent. A power Chamorro and Flores-Ortiz (2000) have report- analysis was conducted to establish the required ed that in contrast with the dominant western sample size, (α level=0.05, power=0.95, and a culture, Mexican culture traditionally idealizes a large effect size). This analysis indicated that a bigger and curved body shape. In the same line, minimum sample size of n=40 would be adequate Mexican culture values more interdependent to test the hypotheses (Cohen, 1992). The mean family relationships, with closer ties to the com- age of the total sample was 19.4±1.3 years and the munity (Santiago-Rivera, Arredondo, & Gal- mean of the BMI (Body Mass Index) scores was lardo-Cooper, 2002). It has been suggested also 24.4±3.8. The participants in this study have had that these features function as protective fac- their menarche at an average age of 11.86 (SD=1.15) tors against eating disorders (Warren, Gleaves, years.