Momentary appearance focused self-concept is associated with dietary restraint and binge eating in female university students: An experience sampling study.

OBJECTIVE: Appearance focused self-concept (i.e., overvaluing the importance of appearance for self-definition and self-worth) is theorized to predict dietary restraint and binge eating in the short-term (e.g., daily life). Yet, no research has examined whether appearance focused self-concept increases within-persons during a day and if such increases are linked to greater dietary restraint and binge eating for that day. We addressed this gap in knowledge. METHOD: Sixty-three female university students completed four items from the Beliefs About Appearance Scale as a measure of appearance focused self-concept six times per day (9 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm, 5 pm, and 7 pm) for 14 days. Daily at 9 pm, they completed measures of dietary restraint and binge eating for that day. RESULTS: Analyzing data from 555 days, latent growth curve analyses revealed a small-to-moderate linear increase in appearance focused self-concept from 9 am to 3 pm that plateaued from 3 to 7 pm. A more rapid linear increase in appearance focused self-concept from 9 am to 3 pm was associated with greater binge-eating frequency during that day, but not with dietary restraint. The findings were observed when adjusting for between-day appearance focused self-concept at 9 am, which was positively associated with dietary restraint and binge-eating frequency. DISCUSSION: Findings are discussed in relation to research on appearance focused self-concept as a risk factor for disordered eating. Findings are also discussed in relation to how sociocultural factors may increase appearance focused self-concept over time. Future research should delve into the within-day dynamic interplay between appearance focused self-concept and disordered eating. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Our study revealed a noteworthy increase in the importance women attach to their appearance over the course of a day, correlating with increased binge eating during that day. Additionally, heightened appearance importance at the onset of a day was associated with more dietary restraint and binge eating during that day. These findings suggest a shorter timescale for the connection between appearance importance and disordered eating than previously understood.

The correlates of appearance focused self-concept: personality traits, self-concept, sociocultural, and early life experience factors.

BACKGROUND: Theory and research indicate that an appearance focused self-concept (i.e., placing overriding importance on physical appearance for self-definition and self-worth) plays a role in the etiology and maintenance of disordered eating and eating disorders. Although the consequences of an appearance focused self-concept are palpable, less is known about its correlates. Accordingly, we examined a range of factors that may characterize appearance focused people, including personality traits (perfectionism, impulsivity, sensation-seeking, hopelessness, and anxiety sensitivity), self-concept (global self-esteem and self-concept clarity), sociocultural (thin-ideal, muscular-ideal, general attractiveness internalizations, and perceived pressure to be thin), and early life experiences (adverse childhood experiences, attachment styles) factors. METHODS: Female undergraduate university students (N = 568; Mage = 19.58, SDage = 4.24) completed a questionnaire battery that included the Beliefs About Appearance Scale, Depressive Experiences Questionnaire-Self-Criticism-6 Scale, Frost-Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Revised Almost Perfect Scale, Substance Use Risk Profile Scale, Self-Concept Clarity Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 Scale, Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire, Experiences in Close Relationships Scale Short Form, and the Dietary Restraint subscale of the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire. RESULTS: Multiple regression analyses were conducted for each set of factors separately and together. For personality traits, perfectionism, impulsivity, and anxiety sensitivity were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept. For self-concept, global self-esteem and self-concept clarity were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept. For sociocultural, general attractiveness internalization, thin-ideal internalization, and perceived pressure to be thin were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept. For early life experiences, attachment anxiety and avoidance were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept. In the combined analysis, the various factors explained 54% of the variance in appearance focused self-concept. Impulsivity, global self-esteem, general attractiveness internalization, and perceived pressure to be thin were uniquely associated with appearance focused self-concept. CONCLUSIONS: Results for global self-esteem were consistent with prior research. Findings for evaluative concerns perfectionism were inconsistent with prior research. We discuss future research directions to examine the link between evaluative concerns perfectionism and appearance focused self-concept. We also discuss how sociocultural factors (general attractiveness internalization and perceived pressure to be thin) and impulsivity may help cultivate an appearance focused self-concept, advancing knowledge on the characteristics of appearance-focused people.