Body talk and body dissatisfaction in Japanese university students: Longitudinal study using the Japanese Body Talk Scale.

This study evaluated the reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Body Talk Scale (BTS), designed to measure negative fat talk, negative muscle talk, and positive body talk. The study also explored the longitudinal associations between each body talk category and body dissatisfaction. We conducted two separate studies among university students in Japan. Separate confirmatory factor analyses for female and male data indicated that the initially proposed three-factor model demonstrated an acceptable fit, whereas the bi-factor model provided a better fit. The Japanese BTS showed good construct validity, acceptable to adequate internal consistency, and test-retest reliability within 2 weeks. A four-week longitudinal study involving 386 women and 216 men (mean age = 19.22 and 19.62, respectively) revealed that negative fat talk predicted an increase in the discrepancy between the thin ideal body image and the actual body image among women. In contrast, positive body talk was linked to reduced body dissatisfaction and body image discrepancy in women. There were no such significant associations in men. These findings support the use of the Japanese BTS as a valuable instrument for future research on the intrapersonal and interpersonal effects of various types of body talk.

Family Fat Talk Questionnaire - Polish adaptation. / Family Fat Talk Questionnaire ­ adaptacja polska.

OBJECTIVES: One of the dangerous phenomena that reinforces a negative attitude towards one's own body is the so-called family fat talk1, i.e. conversations initiated by carers/siblings selfdevaluing body shapes and sizes. The aim of our own research was to adapt the self-report two-factor tool Family Fat Talk Questionnaire (FFTQ) by MacDonald et al., which may be used in the prophylaxis of maladaptive behaviours towards eating and the body, especially in the adolescent population. METHODS: The study covered 391 people at the turn of late adolescence and early adulthood. The following were used: (1) personal questionnaire - to control secondary variables (e.g. gender, BMI, difference between the actual and desired body weight), (2) Family Fat Talk Questionnaire in the Polish language version (FFTQ-PL) and (3) Kwestionariusz wizerunku ciala (KWCO) by A. Glebocka to check external accuracy. RESULTS: The research results indicate that the FFTQ-PL has satisfactory reliability and measurement accuracy, and its two-factor structure (factor 1 - "I"; factor 2 - "Family") has been confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: This measure is worth using in screening studies to identify people - especially adolescents - engaging in self-devaluing conversations within the family. It turns out that fat talk, especially in the case of people with a negative body image, can become a risk factor for risky eating practices.

Translation and validation of a Chinese version of the body talk scale for women and men.

Body talk has received increasing research attention in recent years, with accumulating evidence supporting the link between body talk and eating and body image disturbances. However, research on body talk in China is still relatively scarce and generally focused on fat talk, especially in women, and much remains unknown about muscle talk and positive body talk for both Chinese women and men. To promote a better understanding of body talk in the Chinese context, the present study adapted the Body Talk Scale (BTS) into Chinese Mandarin (i.e., C-BTS) and evaluated the factor structure and psychometric properties of the C-BTS in Chinese adult women and men. The English version of the BTS was translated into Chinese Mandarin with standard procedures. With 300 Chinese women (Mage = 29.48 years, SD = 7.26) and 300 men (Mage = 29.36 years, SD = 6.81), we examined the factor structure and gender invariance of the C-BTS, as well as internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, and construct validity, including convergent, concurrent, and incremental validity of the C-BTS. The results indicated that, consistent with the development study of the BTS, the C-BTS had three subscales (i.e., Negative Fat Talk, Negative Muscle Talk, and Positive Body Talk) and good reliability and validity. The findings demonstrate that the C-BTS can be a useful measure of body talk in both Chinese women and men.

The Body Talk Scale (BTS) measures three types of body talk, including negative fat talk, negative muscle talk, and positive body talk. The present study adapted the English version of the BTS into Chinese Mandarin and examined its psychometric properties in Chinese adult women and men. Results showed that the BTS had adequate reliability and validity in Chinese adults and could be used to assess body talk in Chinese women and men.

The mother-daughter-sister triad: The role of female family members in predicting body image and eating behaviour in young women.

Familial influence, specifically from mothers and sisters, may impact the development of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in young women. Guided by the Tripartite Influence Model, the present study recruited 422 young Australian women for a survey to determine how appearance pressures and fat talk, exhibited by mothers and sisters, and mediational mechanisms (comparisons and internalisation), are associated with body dissatisfaction, and in turn, disordered eating symptomatology. We also explored differences in perceived ratings of mother versus sister appearance pressures and fat talk. Findings were in the hypothesised directions. Greater appearance pressures and fat talk from mothers and sisters was associated with greater body dissatisfaction, restriction and bulimic behaviours. Furthermore, appearance pressures from mothers and sisters was related to young women's likelihood of engaging in appearance comparisons and thin-ideal internalisation, which was associated with body dissatisfaction, and in turn, disordered eating symptomatology. Finally, participants perceived more appearance pressures from their mothers than their sisters, and perceived their mothers to exhibit greater fat talk than their sisters. The findings extend previous research in an important and novel way by investigating individual agents of female familial influence in addition to the role of fat talk in predicting body dissatisfaction and disordered eating.

Fat talk, old talk, or both? Association of negative body talk with mental health, body dissatisfaction, and quality of life in men and women.

BACKGROUND: Little research has investigated the harmful effects of old talk-negative age-related body talk-on mental health and quality of life despite substantial research examining fat talk. Old talk also has only been evaluated in women and in relation to few outcomes. Of note, old talk and fat talk are strongly correlated, suggesting possible overlap in elements that drive negative outcomes. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to investigate the extent that old talk and fat talk contribute to negative mental health and quality of life outcomes when examined in the same model and when interacting with age. METHODS: Adults (N = 773) ages 18-91 completed an online survey assessing eating disorder pathology, body dissatisfaction, depression, aging anxiety, general anxiety, quality of life, and demographics. RESULTS: While fat talk and old talk were correlated with almost all outcome variables, fat talk was more commonly significantly associated with poorer outcomes than old talk. Additionally, the relationship between fat talk and old talk with poorer mental health was affected by age in men, but not women. CONCLUSIONS: Future research is warranted to decipher the individual effects of old talk and fat talk on mental health and quality of life across the adult lifespan.

The term "negative body talk" is used to describe the negative things people sometimes say about their bodies and appearance. Two kinds of negative body talk are fat talk (critical and negative talk about weight-related body image) and old talk (negative body talk focused on changes due to aging). Fat talk has been widely studied and found to be related to poorer mental health, including body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. However, old talk has been much less studied though it is both similar and distinct from fat talk. The current study examined how both old talk and fat talk related to mental health and quality of life in adults across the lifespan. We found that both were correlated with poorer mental health, but when compared to one another, fat talk was more related to mental health in both men and women. Of note, age appears to impact these relationships in men, but not in women. It is important for future research to examine why age seems to influence the impact old talk and fat talk have on mental health and further evaluate the similarities and differences between these two types of negative body talk.

Examining the individual and relational impacts of varying responses to negative body talk within college women's female friendships.

Many college women make self-disparaging comments about their appearance to others. This "fat talk" (negative body talk) is a causal risk factor for body image disturbance, which in turn predicts eating disorders and depression. Research is needed to identify effective responses to negative body talk; namely, those that reduce negative body talk without shaming its initiator or damaging the relationship. The current study examined the impact of different responses to negative body talk on the likelihood of future negative body talk and on individual and relationship factors. College women (N = 160) recalled a situation using negative body talk with a female friend. Participants listened to audio recordings of four responses (Deny/Reassure, Challenge, Empathize/Reciprocate, Ignore) and rated appearance satisfaction, shame, friendship support, and likelihood of future negative body talk after each. Linear mixed models indicated that the Deny/Reassure response followed closely by the Challenge response were most beneficial for individual and relationship factors; however, participants reported being least likely to use future negative body talk after the Ignore response. Recommendations for developing promising responses to negative body talk include combining responses to balance validation (Deny/Reassure) and change (Challenge), and studying the contribution of other relationships and varying body dissatisfaction levels.

Church Affirmation Moderates the Relationship Between Weight-Rejection-Sensitivity and Body Dissatisfaction in Young Adults in the USA.

Systematic research on the role of social affirmation from one's religious community on body evaluations is absent. This study therefore explored the relationships among feeling affirmed-from-church, weight-rejection sensitivity, and body evaluations. Drawing from self-affirmation theory, we tested whether a social aspect of religiosity (i.e., feeling affirmed from one's religious community) attenuated the relationship between weight-rejection anxiety and body dissatisfaction, controlling for body mass, affect, and church attendance. We also examined gender differences in religiosity, body image, and fat talk in secular and religious circles in a sample of young adults in the USA (187F, 84M; Mage = 18.59, SD = 0.83). As predicted, both men and women reported hearing less fat-talk at church than among friends, and women reported a positive relation between feeling affirmed-from-church and hearing body-acceptance talk at church. The moderation prediction was supported for women. Greater affirmation-from-church weakened the effect of women's weight sensitivity on body satisfaction (but not weight esteem). For men, affirmation-from-church strengthened the effect of their weight sensitivity on body dissatisfaction and low weight esteem. Feeling affirmed from church may facilitate women's body satisfaction despite their weight-sensitivities. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Does fat talk affect relationship and sexual satisfaction?: Adults' perceptions of fat talk in a fictional romantic relationship.

Little is known about how fat talk - a verbal expression of body image concerns - functions within romantic relationships. This study used vignettes about a fictional couple to examine how varied levels of a woman's fat talk were perceived by participants as affecting a fictional couple's relationship and sexual satisfaction. Participants were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and included 239 heterosexual people (127 men, 112 women) with long-term relationship experience. Using a 3 (Level of Body Talk: Excessive vs. Minimal Fat Talk vs. Self-Accepting Talk) × 2 (Participant Gender: Male vs. Female) × 2 (Perspective: Husband vs. Wife) between-subjects design, participants read a vignette where the target woman used varying levels of body talk when speaking with her partner. Afterwards, participants completed a series of questionnaires to report on their perceptions of the couple's relationship and sexual satisfaction. Supporting hypotheses, results indicated that participants in the Excessive Fat Talk condition perceived lower relationship and sexual satisfaction levels than the Minimal Fat Talk and Self-Accepting Body Talk conditions. No differences emerged between those exposed to the Self-Accepting and Minimal Fat Talk vignette dialog. Male participants reported lower perceived relationship quality and sexual satisfaction than women participants. Research in this area is in its infancy, and more is needed (especially with actual couples) to better understand how fat talk, as a behavioral function of poor body image, impacts relationship functioning.

Fat Talk in College Women: A Response Styles Perspective.

This study placed the phenomenon of college women's fat talk within response styles theory. We predicted that with increasing trait body dissatisfaction there would be an increase in rumination leading to a greater frequency of fat talk. We also predicted that neuroticism would moderate this mediation pathway, and that these effects would occur over and above body size. A survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 212 college women with a mean age of 22.04 years (SDage = 2.61). A bootstrap analysis utilizing PROCESS software supported the predicted moderated-mediation model. Thus, those college women higher in both trait body dissatisfaction and neuroticism would experience greater rumination and engage more frequently in fat talk. Implications of applying a response styles perspective for future research and fat talk interventions are discussed.

A Psychosocial Exploration of Body Dissatisfaction: A Narrative Review With a Focus on India During COVID-19.

COVID-19 has been an unprecedented global crisis. Besides the public health impact, the pandemic necessitated measures, such as quarantine, travel restrictions, and lockdown, that have had a huge effect on digital screen time, dietary habits, lifestyle measures, and exposure to food-related advertising. At the same time, a reduction in physical activity, an increase of social media consumption, and an increase in fitness tutorials during the lockdown have contributed to body image issues. Emerging evidence from India suggests that peer conversations about appearance as negative body talk (fat talk) is particularly salient in contributing to body dissatisfaction and body perception ideals, which are more prevalent in women. Even though there has been an increase in research on the psychosocial impact of COVID-19, its influence on body image perceptions and consequent distress have been stigmatized and classified as under-spoken areas. With this background, this article reviews research on the biopsychosocial factors that influence body dissatisfaction among women, particularly the role of media. It also highlights the development of body image concerns in India, one of the worst-hit countries in the pandemic, through liberalization, importing Western notions of body instrumentality, demographic shift, and resultant social changes. Finally, the psychosocial strategies for positive body image ideas to prevent and mitigate the adverse effects of body dissatisfaction are discussed, particularly those that focus on cognitive behavioral techniques (CBTs) from the perspectives of positive psychology, media literacy programs, and involvement of the media. Interventions and further research to address body dissatisfaction among women, especially in the post-COVID aftermath, need to be a recognized as a public health goal.

Fat talk is predicted by body dissatisfaction and social comparison with no interaction effect: Evidence from two replication studies.

Verbal denigration of personal body size and shape ("fat talk") is correlated with, and can have a causal influence on body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. What is less clear is who is most likely to fat talk. To address this, Corning and Gondoli (2012) conducted a study confirming that a woman's body dissatisfaction directly predicted their fat talk. But this effect was scaled so that the likelihood of engaging in fat talk intensified if she had a stronger tendency to socially compare: the relationship was multiplicative. Here, we carried out two replications of Corning and Gondoli's (2012) study, the first with 189 UK participants and the second with 371 US participants. We found that multiple regression models predicting fat talk showed additive, but not multiplicative relationships. A robust Bayesian meta-analysis combining the results of our two studies with the results of the original study confirmed this. In conclusion, these studies show an additive relationship between fat talk and social comparison on fat talk.

Measuring positive and negative body talk in men and women: The development and validation of the Body Talk Scale.

Research suggests that positive and negative body talk are important factors in people's body image, however, the instruments designed to measure body talk are generally designed for use with a specific gender and primarily measure negative body talk. To address the shortcomings in the existing measures, the Body Talk Scale (BTS) was designed to measure both positive and negative body talk in men and women. The current study examines the development and psychometric properties of this new scale in two samples of adults, both including men and women. Study 1 focused on the development and examined the factor structure of the original scale items. Study 2 confirmed the factor structure and examined the concurrent validity, incremental validity, test-retest reliability of the scale, and also gender differences. The results indicated that the BTS is a 14-item scale that contains three subscales (Negative Fat Talk, Negative Muscle Talk, and Positive Body Talk) and demonstrates good concurrent validity, incremental validity, and test-retest reliability. Gender comparisons on all three subscales indicated that men engage in more positive body talk than women. The findings demonstrate that the BTS is a useful measure of positive and negative body talk in both men and women.

Disentangling Associations of Children's Sports Participation and Compulsive Exercise With Parenting Practices and Child Disordered Eating Behavior.

PURPOSE: Exercise can enhance health and well-being. Exercise can also, when it is highly driven and compulsive, reflect eating disorder psychopathology. The present study examined associations of compulsive exercise and youth athletics with child disordered eating behaviors (overeating, binge eating, and secretive eating) and with parenting practices related to eating and weight, including how parents talk to their children about weight. METHODS: Participants were parents (N = 875) who completed an online cross-sectional survey. Parents reported whether their child was an athlete and how often their child exercised in a "driven" or "compulsive" way to control their weight. Four groups were compared: child athletes with compulsive exercise (Group AE: n = 34, 3.9%), athletes without compulsive exercise (Group A: n = 314, 35.9%), nonathletes with compulsive exercise (Group E: n = 40, 4.6%), and nonathletes without compulsive exercise (Group X: n = 487, 55.7%). RESULTS: There was a significant, graded association of eating/weight-related parenting: parents of Group E children had the most negative eating/weight-related parenting, followed by parents of Group AE children, followed by both noncompulsive exercise groups (Group A and Group X). Parents reported significantly more "fat talk" in both compulsive exercise groups (Group AE and Group E) than noncompulsive exercise groups (Group A and Group X). Significantly more youth had regular disordered eating behaviors (overeating, binge eating, and secretive eating) in compulsive exercise groups (Group AE and Group E) compared with noncompulsive exercise groups (Group A and Group X). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, relatively few youth were categorized as engaging in compulsive exercise. However, compulsive exercise, particularly among nonathletes, was consistently associated with both disordered eating behaviors and eating/weight-related parenting practices. Stronger associations emerged for compulsive exercise than child athletics.

Fat talk frequency in high school women: Changes associated with participation in the Body Project.

The Body Project is an evidence-based eating disorder prevention program that aims to prevent the onset of eating disorders by challenging the thin-ideal and promoting body acceptance through dissonance-based activities. One of the key program targets is fat talk, the self-deprecating communication about dissatisfaction with one's weight and shape. Fat talk, family fat talk, and weight concern are associated with body image disturbance and eating disorder development, especially in adolescent girls. Despite this, there is a gap in the research that specifically evaluates the extent to which participation in the Body Project changes fat talk frequency. In the current study, we examined change in fat talk frequency, family fat talk frequency, and weight concern among high school-aged women who participated in the peer-led Body Project. A total of 112 female students completed baseline assessments and 105 participants completed the post-intervention assessment measures for an 94 % response rate. The majority of participants (83 %) identified as Caucasian/White and ages ranged from 15 to 18 years of age. Results found that participation in the Body Project was associated with decreases in self-reported fat talk frequency, family fat talk frequency and weight concern. We discuss possible explanations for these findings and future research directions.

Fat talk: Influences on body image in childcare.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: This research explored the use of "fat talk" by early childhood educators and their awareness of their potential influence on the developing body image of young children. METHODS: Mixed methods comprising focus groups, telephone interviews and demographic surveys with 44 early childhood educators Australia-wide. RESULTS: Findings showed many educators in this research recognised that they had a role to play in the development of children's body image, though some were unsure when body image began to develop. Educators engaged widely in "fat talk," in the vicinity of children or other educators, and accepted such talk as normal. DISCUSSION: "Fat talk" features in the workplace and is commonly used by early childhood educators. Its influence on the development of body image on young children did not appear to be well understood by early years' educators or of a concern to them. CONCLUSIONS: Since body image develops in children from around three years of age, the role of early childhood educators in its development should not be overlooked. SO WHAT? RELEVANCE TO HEALTH PROMOTION: Body image is a misunderstood public health concern, with long-term impacts on weight, mental health and physical health. Promotion of positive body image and the early recognition of body image disturbance are crucial, as children who exhibit body dissatisfaction in their formative years have a greater risk of severe body image disturbance as they progress through childhood and adolescence. Since early childhood educators spend significant time with children, encouraging them to avoid engaging in "fat talk" and instead to promote positive body image is warranted.

Examining fat talk and self-compassion as distinct motivational processes in women's eating regulation: A self-determination theory perspective.

This study examined whether pursuing intrinsic versus extrinsic goals was associated with distinct motivational processes in eating regulation and with healthy versus unhealthy eating. Path analysis demonstrated that appearance goals were associated with fat talk, whereas health goals were associated with self-compassion. Fat talk was positively associated with non-self-determined motivation and unhealthy eating, whereas self-compassion was positively associated with self-determined motivation and healthy eating, and negatively associated with unhealthy eating. Findings emphasize the negative effects of pursuing appearance goals and engaging in fat talk and the benefits of pursuing health goals and being self-compassionate.

An exploratory study on the intergenerational transmission of dieting proneness within an eating disorder population.

An Exploratory Study on the Intergenerational Transmission of Dieting Proneness within an Eating Disorder Population (IRB Protocol Number: 160928271). PURPOSE: Parents and families are not the sole factor in eating disorder (ED) development and their involvement in recovery is crucial. However, parents provide a social and environmental context for a child's eating and weight that cannot be completely discounted. The purpose of this study was to explore the intergenerational transmission of dieting behavior within an ED sample. METHODS: Participants (N = 65) were recruited for this cross-sectional study through four distinct ED treatment sites. Participants completed a questionnaire that was developed previously to examine parental feedback as predictor variables, as well as completing the Eating Pathology Severity Index (EPSI) as an outcome variable. A total of 60 completed the questionnaire items of interest to be included in the analyses. SAS JMP® 13.0 was used for descriptive analyses, correlations, and multivariable linear regressions. RESULTS: Results of the multivariable linear regression showed that the amount of variance explained by the final model for eating pathology severity (via the EPSI) doubled when parental feedback was included (Model 1: R2= 0.09, Model 2: R2= 0.20). Additionally, there was a significant relationship between the "Negative Direct Parental Feedback Subscale" and EPSI total scores (ß = 14.1; SD = 7.0; p = 0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings of increased eating pathology associated with direct parental feedback in a clinical population of ED participants even when controlling for parental ED history suggests greater attention is needed within the ED literature on social and environmental factors and their potential associations with eating pathology. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, descriptive study.

Personality and the Social Experience of Body Weight.

Personality traits have been associated consistently with objective and subjective experiences of body weight. We examine whether this association extends to social attitudes and behaviors related to weight. Participants were mothers with children (N=3,099) who completed measures of personality and weight-related attitudes and social interactions. Higher Neuroticism and higher Extraversion were associated with more negative attitudes towards persons with obesity and engagement in fat talk with their friends and around their children. Higher Conscientiousness was associated with fewer negative attitudes and interactions but greater phobia towards obesity, whereas higher Openness and higher Agreeableness were generally associated with more positive attitudes and experiences. The associations for Conscientiousness, Openness, and Agreeableness held only for participants at relatively lower body mass index. Higher Neuroticism and lower Conscientiousness were further associated with the experience of weight discrimination. The present research indicates that in addition to measured weight and body image, personality traits are associated with the social experience of body weight.

Developmental changes in fat talk to avoid peer rejection in Japanese girls and young women.

"Fat talk" refers to conversations focused on body disparagement. We examined developmental changes in fat talk to avoid social rejection and the mediating role of fat talk between "thin-ideal" internalization and body dissatisfaction. A total of 214 high school girls and 227 college-aged women completed questionnaires assessing fat talk engagement, body dissatisfaction, thin-ideal internalization, and sensitivity to rejection. Path analyses showed that fat talk mediated between thin-ideal internalization and body dissatisfaction and that rejection sensitivity predicted fat talk among high school girls, but not among college women. The purpose of fat talk differed by developmental stage, suggesting that interventions for improving body image should be developmentally tailored.

"No seconds for you!": Exploring a sociocultural model of fat-talking in the presence of family involving restrictive/critical caregiver eating messages, relational body image, and anti-fat attitudes in college women.

In line with sociocultural models of parental influence on body image, we examined the relationship between recall of restrictive/critical caregiver eating messages (RCEM) and current frequency of disclosing self-disparaging fat talk among family in 335 undergraduate women (Mage = 19.4; SD = 1.53; range = 18-27). Additionally, two forms of relational body image (i.e., perceived body acceptance by others, external body image shame) and anti-fat attitudes were tested as potential explanatory pathways. RCEM were positively related to current frequency of self-directed fat talk in the family context. All three proposed mediators helped explain this relationship, with external body image shame demonstrating the largest observed effect. Findings suggest frequent recollections of caregivers' implied weight-stigmatizing comments surrounding eating may contribute to more frequent self-denigrating body talk with family members at present via both positive and negative dimensions of relational body image and endorsed explicit weight bias. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.