title: Western Cultural Identification Explains Variations in the Objectification Model for Eating Pathology Across Australian Caucasians and Asian Women.
abstract: Objective:To assess differences in trait objectifying measures and eating pathology between Australian Caucasians and Asian women living in Australia and in Hong Kong with high and low levels of western cultural identification (WCI) and to see if exposure to objectifying images had an effect on state-objectification. A further aim was to assess using path analyses whether an extended version of the objectification model, including thin-ideal internalization, differed depending on the level of WCI.Method:A total of 424 participants comprising 162 Australian Caucasians and 262 Asians (n= 183 currently residing in Australia andn= 79 living in Hong Kong) took part in the study. Of the overall Asian sample, 133 individuals were classified as high-WCI and 129 participants as low-WCI. Participants were randomly allocated into one of two conditions, presenting either objectifying images of attractive and thin Asian and Caucasian female models (objectification group,n= 204), or showing neutral images of objects (e.g., chairs, tables; control group,n= 220). Subsequently, participants were asked to complete a series of questionnaires assessing objectification processes and eating pathology.Results:Findings revealed that the Caucasian group presented with significantly higher internalization and body surveillance scores than either of the two Asian groups and also revealed higher scores on trait-self-objectification than the low-WCI Asian sample. As regards to the effects of objectifying images on state self-objectification, we found that ratings were higher after exposure to women than to control objects for all groups. Finally, multi-group analyses revealed that our revised objectification model functioned equally across the Caucasian and the high-WCI Asian group, but differed between the Caucasian and the low-WCI Asian group.Conclusion:Our findings outline that individuals with varying levels of WCI might respond differently to self-objectification processes. Levels of WCI should therefore be taken into consideration when working with women from different cultural backgrounds.
authors: Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of MelbourneMelbourne, VIC, Australia; Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, SingaporeSingapore.
authors: Charmain S
authors: CS
authors: Tan
authors: Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, School of Psychology, Deakin UniversityMelbourne, VIC, Australia; School of Psychology, Deakin University, DeakinMelbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Fuller-Tyszkiewicz
authors: Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore Singapore.
authors: Ranjani
authors: R
authors: Utpala
authors: Department of Applied Psychology, Lingnan University, Hong Kong Hong Kong.
authors: Victoria Wai Lan
authors: VW
authors: Yeung
authors: Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors: Tara
authors: T
authors: De Paoli
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh Edinburgh, UK.
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Loughan
authors: Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors: Isabel
authors: I
authors: Krug
keywords: appearance anxiety thin-ideal internalization; body shame; cultural; eating pathology; objectification; western cultural identification