Mediators of the relationship between thin-ideal internalization and body dissatisfaction in the natural environment

•Mediators of the thin-ideal internalization–body dissatisfaction relation were tested.•Mediators were body, eating, and exercise comparisons and body surveillance.•Ecological momentary assessment was used.•At the state level, all processes emerged as significant mediators.•At the trait level, only body comparison and body surveillance were significant.

Social comparisons (i.e., body, eating, exercise) and body surveillance were tested as mediators of the thin-ideal internalization–body dissatisfaction relationship using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Participants were 232 college women who completed a 2-week EMA protocol, responding to questions three times per day. Multilevel path analysis was used to examine a 2-1-1 mediation model (thin-ideal internalization assessed as trait; between-person effects examined) and a 1-1-1 model (component of thin-ideal internalization [thin-ideal importance] assessed momentarily; within- and between-person effects examined). For the 2-1-1 model, only body comparison and body surveillance were significant specific mediators of the between-person effect. For the 1-1-1 model, all four variables were significant specific mediators of the within-person effect. Only body comparison was a significant specific mediator of the between-person effect. At the state level, many processes explain the thin-ideal internalization–body dissatisfaction relationship. However, at the trait level, body comparison and body surveillance are more important explanatory factors.