Internalization of the thin and muscular body ideal and disordered eating in adolescence: The mediation effects of body esteem

This study investigates body esteem factors (weight-esteem and appearance-esteem) as mediators of the relationship between ‘internalization of the ideal body figure’ and disordered eating behaviors (restrained, emotional and external eating) in a community sample of adolescent males (n = 810) and females (n = 1137) from the Ontario Research on Eating and Adolescent Lifestyles (REAL) study. Mediation models were examined using a bootstrapping approach to test indirect effects and indirect contrasts. In males, weight-esteem partially mediated the relationship between muscular ideal and restrained eating; appearance-esteem partially mediated effects in the emotional and external eating regressions. In females, both weight-esteem and appearance-esteem partially mediated the relationship between thin ideal and all three forms of disordered eating; weight-esteem was a stronger mediator for restrained eating, and appearance-esteem a stronger mediator for emotional and external eating. Body esteem is important to consider for prevention and treatment of disordered eating in both genders.

► We study relationships between adolescent ideal body figure and disordered eating.
► The mediating role of body esteem (weight-esteem, appearance-esteem) is tested.
► Internalization of thin/muscular ideal is linked to three forms of disordered eating.
► Weight-esteem is sole (boys) or stronger (girls) mediator for restrained eating.
► Appearance-esteem is sole or stronger mediator for emotional and external eating.