| Typically, women in Western societies live in a culture that objectifies women. According to Fredrickson and Roberts (1997), the objectification of women can help to explain the higher rates of eating disorders, sexual dysfunction, and major depression observed in females. The consequences may be greater for women who internalize that societal view and self-objectify (i.e., internalize an observer's perspective on their own bodies), becoming more and more focused on how they look and neglecting how they feel. Previous studies, utilizing primarily female undergraduate samples, have supported parts of the objectification framework set forth by Fredrickson and Roberts.;The current study sought to empirically examine the relationship between self-objectification, self-surveillance, body shame, appearance anxiety, interoceptive awareness, depressed mood, control beliefs, and weight in a sample of mothers. Participants were mothers (with at least 1 biological child) between the ages of 25 and 40 years old who completed an online survey measuring demographic information, self-objectification, self-surveillance, appearance anxiety, body shame, control beliefs, and interoceptive awareness. Women who scored higher on self-objectification were more likely to report higher scores of depression as well as other negative outcomes. A mediational model was not supported in the current analysis; however, other analyses revealed significant relationships between the variables. Notably, an interaction between control beliefs and distance from one's goal weight significantly predicted body shame. Also, women's level of depression was significantly predicted by interoceptive awareness, appearance anxiety, self-surveillance, and self-objectification. Additional analyses involving breastfeeding, age, and body mass index are also reported. Finally, implications of the present study, with special emphasis on the conclusions that can be drawn based on this unique sample of mothers, are discussed. |
