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Yang W, Niu G, Shi X, Song K, Zhang Y, Yuan Z. Negative family body talk and negative emotional eating among Chinese adolescent girls and young adult women: The role of body dissatisfaction and feminism consciousness. Appetite 2023:106973. [PMID: 37419281 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.106973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Negative emotional eating has been increasingly a prominent disordered eating and public health problem among young women, especially during COVID-19. Although previous studies have attempted to explain the relationship between body talk and negative emotional eating, limited studies focused on examining the potential mechanisms, especially the potential protective mechanism. Thus, the current study aimed to examine the relationship between negative family body talk (NFBT) and negative emotional eating, as well as its underlying mechanism - the mediating role of body dissatisfaction (BDIS) and the moderating role of feminism consciousness (FC). A cross-sectional study was employed among a sample of Chinese girls and young women (n = 813, Mage = 19.4 years) from a junior college in central China. Participants completed surveys assessing NFBT (Adapted Body Talk Scale), BDIS (Body Image State Scale), negative emotional eating (Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire), and FC (Synthesis Subscale from Feminist Identity Composite). A moderated mediation analysis was conducted. The results showed that: (1) after controlling for age and BMI, NFBT was positively associated with negative emotional eating, and BDIS could significantly mediate this relationship (mediating effect = 0.03, 95% CI [0.02, 0.06]); (2) FC significantly moderated both the direct relationship between NFBT and negative emotional eating and the relationship between NFBT and BDIS. Specifically, these two associations were not significant for participants with higher FC (+1SD above average). This study deepens our understanding of the relationship between NFBT and negative emotional eating, as well as the protective role of FC. If future studies demonstrate causal relationships, this evidence could point to a need for programs to prevent negative emotional eating in young women by increasing their level of feminism consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wencheng Yang
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430079, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Gengfeng Niu
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430079, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430079, China; Center for Research on Internet Literacy and Behavior, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China; Central China Normal University Branch, Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment Toward Basic Education Quality, Wuhan, 430079, China.
| | - Xiaohan Shi
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430079, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Kuai Song
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430079, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430079, China; School of Preschool Education, Hubei Preschool Teachers College, Ezhou, 436032, China
| | - Yumang Zhang
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430079, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Zihui Yuan
- School of Psychology, Central China Normal University, Key Laboratory of Human Development and Mental Health of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430079, China; Key Laboratory of Adolescent Cyberpsychology and Behavior (CCNU), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, 430079, China
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Feminist embodiment, body talk, and body image among mothers and daughters. Body Image 2022; 41:354-366. [PMID: 35483109 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Guided by the developmental theory of embodiment, the current study explored feminist embodiment as a protective factor that may simultaneously promote more positive (and less negative) body talk and body image outcomes among mothers and their young adult daughters. Results from an expanded actor-partner interdependence model (APIM; N = 169 dyads) revealed that our construct of feminist embodiment, which was composed of feminist attitudes, mind-body connection, and psychological empowerment, has potential benefits for both mothers and daughters. Specifically, actor effects indicated that feminist embodiment was positively associated with both mothers' and daughters' body image, and it was indirectly associated with both women's own body image through more positive (and less negative) body talk. Additionally, partner effects revealed a number of direct effects between one's own body talk and the other's body image, and also that daughters' feminist embodiment was indirectly associated mothers' body image through daughters' positive body talk. This study highlights the empowering and supportive nature of mother-daughter relationships and suggests the potential body image benefits of women experiencing feminist embodiment.
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Shi X, Zheng Y. Perception and Tolerance of Sexual Harassment: An Examination of Feminist Identity, Sexism, and Gender Roles in a Sample of Chinese Working Women. PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN QUARTERLY 2020. [DOI: 10.1177/0361684320903683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In East Asian culture, where sex is a sensitive subject, many women still have a high recognition threshold when it comes to sexual harassment, as well as a high tolerance for it. Previous research has shown that feminist identity is effective in promoting women’s physical and mental health and buffering against the negative effects of sexual harassment, thus, it is important to clarify the role that feminist identity plays in the perception of sexual harassment. In this study, we examined whether feminist identity is related to the perception and tolerance of sexual harassment and whether feminist identity mediates the relations between sexism, gender roles, and sexual harassment perception and tolerance among Chinese working women. In a survey of 507 participants, we found that active commitment to feminism was positively correlated with women’s perception of sexual harassment, while passive acceptance of traditional gender roles was positively correlated with tolerance of sexual harassment. Mediation analysis showed that active commitment to feminism mediated the relations between sexism, gender roles, and sexual harassment perception, while passive acceptance of traditional gender roles mediated the relations between sexism and femininity with sexual harassment tolerance. We assert that feminist identity has the potential to enable women to be more perceptive and less tolerant of sexual harassment behaviors, and as such, feminist ideology should be incorporated into education for Chinese women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Shi
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yong Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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Liu Y, Zheng Y. Reliability and Validity of Feminist Identity Composite in Chinese Women. Front Psychol 2020; 10:2842. [PMID: 31920871 PMCID: PMC6932982 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a Chinese form of the Feminist Identity Composite (FIC). A total of 2,334 Chinese adult women completed the scale for this study. In study 1 (n = 875), exploratory analysis indicated six factors, Passive Acceptance, Revelation, Embeddedness/Emanation, Active Commitment, and Synthesis, the latter of which was divided into two subscales (Femininity Synthesis and Autonomous Synthesis). In study 2 (n = 810), confirmatory factor analysis was conducted with a different sample to examine the construct validity of the model obtained in study 1. In study 3 (n = 649), the convergent validity of the FIC was examined via their relationship with willingness to engage in feminist behaviors and attitude toward trans-people. The results indicated that a new measurement with solid conceptual and psychometrically solid properties needs to be developed to assess Chinese women’s feminist identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingjiang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yong Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (Ministry of Education), Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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Watson LB, Flores MJ, Grotewiel M, Brownfield JM, Aslan S, Farrell M. How Do Feminist-Identified Women Cope With Discrimination? A Feminist Standpoint and Grounded Theory Study. PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN QUARTERLY 2018. [DOI: 10.1177/0361684318777722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Women experience a higher incidence of mental health concerns compared to men, and scholars have located these challenges within a discriminatory sociocultural context. Although scholars have suggested that feminist attitudes may shield women from discrimination, research on the protective role of feminist attitudes is discrepant and suggests that there are distinct differences between those who do and do not self-identify as feminist; namely, self-identifiers may be more protected in the face of discrimination. Utilizing grounded theory and intersectional feminist standpoint methodologies, in this study we sought to understand the ways that self-identified womanist and feminist women cope with discrimination. We found that women’s feminist and cultural identities intersected, each informing the other and influencing coping mechanisms and well-being. Moreover, results demonstrated that feminist women call upon a variety of different coping mechanisms in response to discrimination, including advocacy, social support, self-care, cognitive processes, disengagement, connecting to one’s femininity, and religion and spirituality. Although possessing a feminist and/or womanist identity appeared to be protective in some cases, at other times it did not. Some participants expressed feeling marginalized from the feminist community and felt that their greater awareness of oppression was an additional source of distress. Based on these findings, we provide suggestions for mental health clinicians and research scholars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel B. Watson
- Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology, School of Education, University of Missouri–Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Mirella J. Flores
- Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology, School of Education, University of Missouri–Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Morgan Grotewiel
- Department of Psychology, Webster University, Webster Groves, MO, USA
| | - Jenna M. Brownfield
- Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology, School of Education, University of Missouri–Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Sara Aslan
- Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology, School of Education, University of Missouri–Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Michelle Farrell
- Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology, School of Education, University of Missouri–Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
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