title: The appearance culture between friends and adolescent appearance-based rejection sensitivity.
abstract: Appearance-based rejection sensitivity (appearance-RS) is the tendency to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and overreact to signs of rejection based on one's appearance, and is associated with a number of psychological and social problems (Park, 2007). This study of 380 adolescents (Mage = 13.84) examined a model linking the appearance culture between friends with appearance-RS in adolescent boys and girls, via internalisation of appearance ideals, social comparison, and body dissatisfaction. Gender differences were also tested. Consistent with expectations, appearance-focused characteristics of the friendship context were associated with heightened appearance-RS via internalization of appearance ideals, social comparison, and body dissatisfaction. The appearance-focused friend characteristics that were associated with appearance-RS included exposure to friends' appearance conversations, appearance teasing that caused distress, and perceived pressure to be attractive. Notably, associations rarely differed for boys and girls, with one exception: the association between BMI and body dissatisfaction was stronger in girls than in boys.
authors.affiliation: Griffith University, School of Applied Psychology and Griffith Health Institute, Behavioral Basis of Health, Gold Coast, Australia. Electronic address: haley.webb@griffithuni.edu.au.
authors.forename: Haley J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.affiliation: Griffith University, School of Applied Psychology and Griffith Health Institute, Behavioral Basis of Health, Gold Coast, Australia.
authors.forename: Melanie J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Zimmer-Gembeck
authors.affiliation: Griffith University, School of Applied Psychology and Griffith Health Institute, Behavioral Basis of Health, Mt Gravatt, Australia.
authors.forename: Caroline L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Donovan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012929:Psychological Distance; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescent; Appearance-based rejection sensitivity; Body dissatisfaction; Friends; Peers