title: Body image and appearance perceptions from immigrant adolescents in Canada: An interpretive description.
abstract: Body dissatisfaction has been linked to a number of poor health outcomes, including eating disorders. However, very few studies have investigated body dissatisfaction among immigrant adolescents. Using inductive qualitative inquiry, this study recruited a purposeful sample of immigrant adolescents (N=18, 78% female) with an eating disorder (n=8) and without an eating disorder (n=10). All adolescents were between 16 and 19 years of age (M=16.80, SD=0.89) and were recruited from three municipalities in Ontario. Each adolescent participated in a face-to-face, qualitative interview. Content analysis revealed descriptions of body image that were similar across the sample. The main themes emerging from this work include (a) the "moderately slim" and "moderately muscular" ideal, (b) the "slim and curvy paradox," (c) "ideal" privilege, (d) having an "expected" appearance, and (e) wishful comparisons. Findings have implications for reducing appearance-related dissatisfaction among immigrant adolescents in Canada.
authors.affiliation: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: kimberms@mcmaster.ca.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kimber
authors.affiliation: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: georgik@mcmaster.ca.
authors.forename: Katholiki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Georgiades
authors.affiliation: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: jacksm@mcmaster.ca.
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jack
authors.affiliation: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: coutur@mcmaster.ca.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Couturier
authors.affiliation: McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: wahousho@mcmaster.ca.
authors.forename: Olive
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wahoush
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D002170:Canada; D003469:Culture; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media; D009864:Ontario; D010379:Peer Group; D000067029:Physical Appearance, Body; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012923:Social Class
keywords: Adolescents; Appearance comparison; Body dissatisfaction; Canada; Culture; Qualitative interviews