Relationships Between Men's and Women's Body Image and Their Psychological, Social, and Sexual Functioning - Men's and Women's Body Image

Written by Tanya E. Davison, Marita P. McCabe

Inclusion of body image variables, entered as a group at the second step, did not significantly increase the prediction of same-sex relations among men in early or late adulthood, or among women of any age group, beyond the effect of control variables. However, a significant increase in the prediction of same-sex relations was found among men in middle adulthood, F change (5, 49) = 2.61, p < .05. Positive same-sex relations were uniquely predicted by positive ratings of physical attractiveness among this group (see Table IV). Inclusion of body image variables at this step significantly increased the prediction of positive cross-sex relations among men in young adulthood, F change (2, 57) = 4.17, p < .05; a low level of body concealment acted as a unique body image predictor, but did not increase the prediction of cross-sex relations beyond the effect of control variables among any other group.

Inclusion of body image variables, entered as a group at the second step, did not significantly increase the prediction of sexual self-efficacy or sexual satisfaction among women in any age group, or among men in early or late adulthood, beyond the effect of control variables. Among men in middle adulthood, however, inclusion of body image variables significantly increased the prediction of sexual self-efficacy, F change (5, 46) = 3.69, p < .01, and sexual satisfaction, F change (4, 49) = 6.27, p < .001; high body image satisfaction acted as the unique body image variable in both instances (see Table IV). A low tendency to compare their appearance to that of others and a low level of body concealment also predicted sexual satisfaction.

The group of body image variables, entered at the second step, did not significantly increase the prediction of sexual optimism among men or women in early or late adulthood beyond the effect of control variables. Inclusion of body image variables significantly increased the prediction of sexual optimism among men in middle adulthood, however, F change (4, 48) = 6.69, p < .001; low social physique anxiety acted as a unique body image predictor (see Table IV). Although body image variables increased the prediction of sexual optimism as a group among women in middle adulthood, F change (6, 81) = 2.72, p < .05, there were no unique body image predictors.

DISCUSSION

In the present study we considered a number of aspects of body image among men and women across different stages of adulthood. Body image concerns were generally found to be more prevalent among women than men; women reported lower satisfaction with their bodies and a greater tendency to conceal their bodies. Women appeared to be more focused on the social aspects of body image; they compared their appearance to that of others more frequently than men did, and they reported higher levels of social physique anxiety, which indicates that they were more concerned about others evaluating their appearance negatively. However, there were no gender differences in ratings of physical attractiveness or the perceived importance of appearance in the lives of men and women, and men were just as likely as women to report engaging in efforts to improve their bodies.

Body image concerns were relatively consistent throughout adulthood, which supports previous indications of the high prevalence of body image concerns among individuals beyond their college-aged years (Allaz, Bernstein, Rouget, Archinard, & Morabia, 1998; Ben-Tovim & Walker, 1994; Pliner, Chaiken, & Flett, 1990). There were some developmental trends, however, as men and women in their 30s and 40s were more vulnerable than other groups to dissatisfaction with their bodies and engaged in more attempts to conceal their bodies, for example, with nonrevealing clothing. This highlights the importance of attending to body image among adults beyond early adulthood, which is typically considered the most vulnerable period for body image disturbance. A developmental shift was also apparent in later years, most particularly in relation to the social aspects of body image. Although men and women over 50 years of age tended to make evaluations of their own appearance that were just as negative as those of younger participants, and did not perceive their appearance to be any less important than younger participants did, they reported less concern about others evaluating their bodies, and they were less likely to compare their appearance with that of others.

This exploratory study was designed to examine the relationships between different aspects of body image and psychological, social, and sexual functioning, rather than simply to document the existence or prevalence of body image concerns. Previous research, based on correlational analyses, has tended to conclude that a negative body image is associated with impaired psychological and interpersonal functioning. However, we used hierarchical regression analyses that controlled for the effects of possible moderator variables (self-esteem, depression, anxiety, BMI, and cross-sex relations), and found that body image variables did not contribute to a unique understanding of psychological, social, and sexual functioning among most groups.

An exception was found for self-esteem as a dependent variable. Self-esteem was predicted by body image variables among all groups. There were few gender differences in the overall strength of the association between body image and self-esteem, a finding that supports a number of previous studies of college students (e.g., Abell & Richards, 1996; Stowers & Durm, 1996), but is inconsistent with the conclusions of other researchers (e.g., Tiggemann, 1994) and the findings from a recent review (Powell & Hendricks, 1999). In the present study, although men at all stages of adulthood were less likely than women to hold a global negative body image, once developed, a poor body image was as strongly related to the general self-concept of men as it was of women. However, the particular aspect of body image most relevant to self-esteem differed according to age and gender. For example, physical attractiveness played an important role among men in early adulthood, but was more relevant to women's self-esteem in later years. Gender differences in the types of body image variables relevant to self-esteem may explain some of the inconsistencies in the literature, given that previous researchers exploring the relationship between body image and self-esteem have typically employed a single measure of body image.