Body-image and eating behavior in young people

Abstract

Body image is formed throughout a person’s life under the influence of biological and socio-cultural factors. Mass media motivate young people to follow beauty standone’s body image and adherence to strict diets can lead to eating and metabolic disorders, or even reproductive dysfunction in girls. Eating disorders can be triggered by specific reaction to stress. In this regard, it is important to study how young people perceive their body and to explore their eating behavior and stress coping techniques. The aim of our study is to examine the psychological prerequisites for the development of eating disorders in young people and to design a psychological prevention program. The study involved 30 young men and 30 women, aged 18 to 27, studying at universities in Saint Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. The following research methods were used: Body Image by T. Van Strien; and Ways of Coping questionnaire developed by R. Lazarus and adapted by L. I. Wasserman. The study found that girls tend to be significantly more dissatisfied with their body than boys (evidenced by Mann-Whitney test). The girls showed eating disorders related to emotional eating and eating restrictions. This indicates that girls exhibit more self-control over their eating patterns than boys and are more likely to eat in response to negative emotions. At the same time, under stress, girls tend to use adaptive coping behavior: self-control and solution planning, while boys more often choose the non-adaptive strategy of escape/avoidance. The results of the study will find an application in the development of a psychological support program. It will encourage young people to accept their body and to master adaptive strategies of coping with stress.