INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF DISPOSITIONAL MINDFULNESS AS A PROTECTIVE FACTOR FOR BODY IMAGE DISSATISFACTION AMONG WOMEN

Abstract

Body image dissatisfaction, which is increasing as an issue for women, can diminish quality of life with negative psychological consequences. The relationship between internalizing the thin body ideal and the development of body image dissatisfaction has been studied in psychology. The thin body ideal is aspiring to a perfect female body that is very thin, presented as the ideal in the media. Research has focused on investigating strategies that women use to resist internalizing a thin-ideal body and prevent developing body dissatisfaction. The present study investigated the protective benefits of dispositional mindfulness against developing body image dissatisfaction in a sample of 186 women aged between 18 to 64 years (M = 29). The results suggest that compared to women with low levels of dispositional mindfulness, women with high levels of dispositional mindfulness report significantly less body image dissatisfaction and preoccupation with weight, lower levels of shame, psychological distress and higher levels of self-esteem.