Body-Esteem as a Mediator in the Relationship between Best Friend Criticism and Body Dissatisfaction (2011)

Undergraduate: Tarrah Mitchell

Faculty Advisor: Mitch Prinstein
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

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Previous research established a link between criticism about one’s body and body dissatisfaction, but the precise mechanisms that drive this relationship remain unknown. This study explored body-esteem as a possible mediator of the relationship. The 175 adolescent female participants, who came from a larger study on peer relations, completed a series of self-report measures of best friend criticism, body-esteem, and body dissatisfaction. Results showed that the three variables were significantly associated, and mediation was tested using hierarchical linear regression analyses. The analyses revealed the association between best friend criticism and body dissatisfaction became insignificant after introducing body-esteem as a mediator, which suggests that that the presence of low body-esteem is one way in which best friend criticism leads to body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls. Future research should explore other possible mediators, look at these variables longitudinally, and study additional populations including clinical samples and males.