title: Disentangling body image: The relative associations of overvaluation, dissatisfaction, and preoccupation with psychological distress and eating disorder behaviors in male and female adolescents.
abstract: The distinctiveness and relative clinical significance of overvaluation, dissatisfaction, and preoccupation with body weight/shape remains inconclusive. This study sought to add to the evidence by testing associations between these three body image constructs and indicators of clinical significance.
  
  
  
  Male and female secondary students (N = 1,666) aged 12-18 years completed a survey that included measures of dissatisfaction with, overvaluation of, and preoccupation with weight/shape, psychological distress, eating disorder behaviors, and basic demographic information. Conditional process analysis was employed to test the independent and mediating effects of overvaluation, dissatisfaction, and preoccupation on distress, dietary restraint, and objective binge eating.
  
  
  
  Overvaluation, dissatisfaction, and preoccupation were highly correlated (r = 0.47-0.84). In girls, preoccupation demonstrated the strongest independent and mediating effects on distress, dietary restraint, and binge eating; whereas neither the direct or indirect effects of dissatisfaction on distress and overvaluation on binge eating were significant. Among boys however, the direct and indirect effects of overvaluation, dissatisfaction, and preoccupation on distress and eating disorder behaviors were relatively equal.
  
  
  
  Preoccupation with weight/shape may be particularly clinically significant in girls, whereas all constructs of body image disturbance may be equally clinically significant in boys. The findings are consistent with the view that these constructs, while closely related, are distinct. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.(Int J Eat Disord 2017; 50:118-126).
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mitchison
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Research, Sydney, Western Sydney University, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Phillipa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hay
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Stuart B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: Research School of Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bentley
authors.affiliation: Research School of Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
authors.forename: Kassandra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gratwick-Sarll
authors.affiliation: Research School of Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
authors.forename: Carmel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mond
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D057215:Body Dysmorphic Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D001835:Body Weight; D002032:Bulimia / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D004032:Diet; D004644:Emotions; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: body image; boys; community-based; dissatisfaction; eating disorder behaviours; girls; mediation; overvaluation; preoccupation