The Influence of Shame in the Relation Between Social Comparison and Body Image Dissatisfaction

Abstract

Body image dissatisfaction (BID) occurs in the clinical and non-clinical population and leads to a reduced quality of life, depression or eating disorders. There are different factors involved in the development of BID which might differ between cultures, for example, social comparison (SC) or shame. The aim of this study is to investigate if SC is positively associated with BID. Additionally, it is examined if shame has a moderating effect on the relation between SC and BID when considering cultural differences. To test those hypotheses a multiple regression analysis with a moderated moderation model was conducted. The results showed that both SC and shame are positively associated with BID. However, no moderating effect of shame on the relation between SC and BID were found. Similarly, when investigating if cultural differences have an influence on the moderating effect of shame on the relation between SC and BID no significant results were found. Nevertheless, against the expectation that the Turkish sample will have higher levels of shame, the results indicate that the Irish sample has higher levels of shame. Further research is needed to investigate what factors contribute to the development of BID and more specifically, which influence cultural differences might have.