Self-esteem, social support, collectivism, and the thin-ideal in Latina undergraduates

Thin-ideal internalization (TII) reflects agreement that thinness equates with beauty. TII is a risk factor for body dissatisfaction and eating pathology; this phenomenon and its correlates, however, are just beginning to be studied in Latina undergraduates. This study examined the ability of self-esteem, social support, and collectivism to predict TII in 279 Latina undergraduates. It was hypothesized that higher levels of self-esteem, social support, and collectivism would predict lower levels of TII. Cross-sectional data were analyzed using multiple regression; the model was significant, p < .01. Although both self-esteem and social support negatively correlated with thin-ideal internalization, only self-esteem accounted for a significant amount of variance. Results indicate that investigations of self-esteem as a protective factor against TII in Latina undergraduates would be fruitful, as would how self-esteem and social support affect the relationship between TII and other variables. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Research highlights▶ Self-esteem, social support, and collectivism as predictors of thin-ideal internalization (TII). ▶ Studied predictors in Latina undergraduates. ▶ Self-esteem and social support negatively correlated with TII. ▶ Only self-esteem accounted for a significant amount of variance in TII.