Correlation Between Socio-cultural Influences And Body Image Of Female College Students

Body image is multi-dimension structure, composed of physical body image and social image related with body, involved with affection, cognition and behavior. It is influenced by the biological, psychological and social factors. Studies indicated that Body Image highly related with eating disorder. Therefore, comprehensive understanding body image helps to solve the issue of eating disorder, which is confronting most of population, especially for female. In former studies, the socio-cultural influences were found to play an important role in the development of Body Image. Three types of influences expressed as weight losing, weight gaining and muscle tone raising. Weight losing has been well probed, while the rest were lack of attention from researchers. In China, the research of body image just began, which was focusing on the biological and psychological factors. The domestic studies indicated that the body image satisfaction decreased gradually, and the prevalence of eating disorder rose in China. Wherefore, research of relationship of the social cultural influence and body image will have practical and theoretical meanings, prompting the research of theory and prevention and treatment of disorders related with body image and eating..The essay aims to verify the relation between social-cultural influence and body image, and then offers means for prevention and clinical treatment o f body image disorders eating disorders. The Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire and the Socio-cultural Influence Questionnaire were used to investigate 628 female college students.The main results are as follows:1. Female college students desired the BMI<18.5(BMI=18.38) as ideal weight. The real weight of students from city was significantly heavier than that of students from villages(t=-2.24*).2. For the weight-losing dimension, normal weight students perceived more such influence than that of thin students(F=4.032*, p<0.05).3. For the Appearance Evaluation and Health Orientation, the score of city students was higher than that of village students(F=5.136*,p<0.05;F=7.052**,p<0.01). For the Appearance Orientation, the score of normal weight students was higher than that of thin students(F=4.773**,p<0.01). 4. The predictors in the regression equation were the influences to lose weight, gain weight, and improve muscle tone. The criterion variables were 9 main aspects of body image. For the Appearance Evaluation, regression equation is significant (F=6.44, P<0.05), Losing weight accounted for a significant variance of Appearance Evaluation (Beta=-1.33, R2 = .0289). For the Appearance Orientation, regression equation is significant (F=7.94, P<0.01), Losing weight and Gaining weight accounted for a significant variance of Appearance Orientation (Beta=-.238, Beta=-.152, R2 = .0361). For the Fitness Evaluation, regression equation is significant (F=3.07, P<0.05), Gaining Muscle accounted for a significant variance of Fitness Evaluation (Beta=-.108, R2 = .0144). For the Fitness Orientation, regression equation is significant (F=21.98, P<0.01), Gaining Muscle accounted for a significant variance of Fitness Orientation (Beta=-.321, R2 = .0961). For the Health Orientation, regression equation is significant (F=12.91, P<0.01), Gaining Muscle accounted for a significant variance of Health Orientation (Beta=-.237, R2 = .0576). For the Illness Orientation, regression equation is significant (F=3.16, P<0.05), Gaining Muscle accounted for a significant variance of Health Orientation (Beta=-.103, R2 = .0144). For the Body Evaluation, regression equation is significant (F=14.22, P<0.01), Losing Weight accounted for a significant variance of Body Evaluation (Beta=-.280, R2 = .0625). For the Overweight concern, regression equation is significant (F=160.54, P<0.01), Losing Weight and Gaining weight accounted for a significant variance of Overweight concern (Beta=-.586, Beta=-.120, R2 = .4356).The results conclude:1 The female college students generally desire to lose weght.The students from city have better living condition than that of students from village, resulting in the real weight difference.2 The weight losing socio-cultural influence affectes more normal weight students thant it does thin students.3 The students from city are more satisfied with body image and invest more on body image than those of students from villiage. The normal weight students invest more on body image than that of the thin students.4 The Socio-cultural influences are significant predictors of body image satisfaction.