title: Body talk and body-related co-rumination: associations with body image, eating attitudes, and psychological adjustment.
abstract: Talk about physical appearance and body image is common among young women. We investigated how body talk (negative, positive/self-accepting, and co-ruminative) is related to body image, body-related cognitive distortions, disordered eating, psychological adjustment, and friendship quality via hierarchical regression analyses (controlling for social desirability and body mass index). In a sample of young adult women (N=203), negative body talk was, as predicted, negatively related to body satisfaction and self-esteem and positively related to appearance investment, body-related cognitive distortions, disordered eating, and depression, but not friendship quality. Self-accepting/positive body talk was negatively related to body-related cognitive distortions and positively related to body satisfaction, self-esteem, and friendship quality. Body-related co-rumination demonstrated adjustment trade-offs, being related to body-related cognitive distortions, disordered eating, and higher friendship quality. Results indicated no advantage to negative body talk, both individual and relationship benefits from positive/self-accepting body talk, and mixed outcomes for body-related co-rumination.
authors.affiliation: Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology, Norfolk, Virginia, United States.
authors.forename: Jonathan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rudiger
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Winstead
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003142:Communication; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body image; Body talk; Co-rumination; Eating attitudes; Fat talk; Friendship