Happiness and me: An exploratory study of parental and romantic attachments and self-esteem and their effects on adulthood body image dissatisfaction

Abstract

In this study, the author investigated parental attachments, self-esteem, and
romantic satisfaction as they related to the cognitive and affective components of the selfconcept
when represented through Body Image Dissatisfaction (BID). The study was a
within-subject design with 70 participants. They participants were instructed to report
their feelings about each of these variables through 4 questionnaires. Individuals with
low self-esteem identified as having increased BID as compared to those individuals with
high self-esteem. Compared with those who reported supportive parental attachments,
individuals with a highly overprotective mother reported higher BID. Multiple regression
analysis indicated that gender had no significant impact on reports of BID. Discussion
centers around the relation of the self-concept as represented through BID, and the
treatment implications surrounding the results, with a focus on the importance of
enhancing self-esteem.

Date of Award	2011
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	Eastern Illinois University
Supervisor	Amy Brausch (Supervisor)