Structural Model of Eating Disorders Symptoms in Women Based on the Internalization of Media Models, Eating-ralated Beliefs and body dysmorphic concern

This study aimed to design and test a structural model of eating disorders symptoms in women based on the internalization of media models with the mediating role of eating-related beliefs and body dysmorphic concern in female students. The research design was correlational. 298 female students of the Islamic Azad University of Khomeini Shahr in the academic year 2019-2020 were selected as the research sample using cluster sampling method and responded to the Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI, Littleton and et al., 2005), Socio-cultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire-third edition (SATAQ-3, Thompson and et al., 2004), Eating Disorder Belief Questionnaire (EDBQ, Cooper and et al., 1997), and Eating Attitudes Test (EAT, Garner and et al., 1982). To test the model of the research, the structural equation modeling method was used. In this analysis, the maximum likelihood method was used to estimate the model parameters, and the bootstrap method was used to investigate the significance of the model effects. Data were analyzed using SPSSV24 and AMOSV24 software. The results showed that the fit indices of the model are desirable. Examination of the model parameters showed that all direct effects of the model are significant; the indirect effects of internalization of media models on the symptoms of eating disorders through eating-related beliefs and body dysmorphic concern are also significant. In general, these results show that the internalization of media patterns leads to the strengthening of dysfunctional beliefs of people about eating and body dysmorphic concern, and thus, the symptoms of eating disorders intensify in them. These results show the special importance of internalization of media models in the occurrence of eating problems and incompatibilities in Iranian women. Therefore, by managing the effects of the media, these problems in the women's community can be reduced.