Beyond body dissatisfaction: The relationship among attachment, self-esteem, body dissatisfaction and ethnic identity in Asian American and European American women

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among attachment, self-esteem and body dissatisfaction in women. The study also investigated differences in this relationship between Asian American women and European American women, and looked at ethnic identity in Asian American women to see if it served to mitigate any potential negative effects of cultural pressure on the formation of body dissatisfaction.; The participants were 71 Asian American women, from Japanese, Chinese or Korean descent; and 100 European American women. Women were recruited through flyers, through university class announcements by professors and teachers assistants, through on-line groups, and on-line postings. There were two versions of the survey, one paper and pencil and one Internet. All but five participants completed the survey on-line. The survey consisted of a demographic questionnaire, the Experiences in Close Relationship Inventory (ECR), the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ-AS), the Asian American Ethnic Identity Questionnaire (AAEIQ), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES).; The ECR measures adult attachment using two continuous dimensions of attachment, Anxiety and Avoidance. Body dissatisfaction was measured using summary scores for two appearance related scales (Appearance Evaluation and Body Areas Satisfaction) from the MBSRQ-AS. Ethnic identity was measured using the summary scores from the AAEIQ, and self-esteem was measured using the summary scores from the RSES.; Results of correlational analyses indicated there are significant relationships between body dissatisfaction and adult attachment. Results of Multiple Regression analyses indicate that self-esteem serves a mediator for the relationship. In European American women these relationships are statistically significant; however, in Asian American women similar relationships are generally not statistically significant. Also, for both groups combined, body mass affects to the significance of the relationship between adult attachment and certain appearance related aspects of body dissatisfaction. Findings are discussed in relation to current literature.