Moderating Role of Religiosity in the Relationship between Identity and Body Management

The unconventional body management among Iranian women has led to the emergence of various individual and social consequences, highlighting the necessity of investigating this phenomenon from different dimensions. This study aimed to examine the moderating role of religion in the relationship between identity and body management.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on all women (n=400) aged 15-65 years old in the city of Tehran, Iran, selected using the multi-stage cluster sampling method.  The research instruments consisted of three questionnaires, namely a researcher-made questionnaire on body management, the Dimensions of Religiosity Scale, and the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status-2. The validity of the researcher-made questionnaire was confirmed by experts and its reliability was evaluated as appropriate using Cronbachchr('39')s alpha coefficient method.

The results of the correlation test showed that at the 99% confidence level, there was a statistically significant correlation between tendency to body management and identity (r=-0.319, P<0.001). Moreover, based on the results of regression analysis, religiosity had a moderating role in the relationship between identity and tendency to body management (β=-0.31, P<0.001) and strengthens the negative correlation between dependent and independent variables. It was also revealed that the beliefs and consequences dimensions of religiosity had respectively the highest and least moderating effect in the relationship between tendency to body management and identity (β=0.78, P<0.001; β=0.776, P<0.05, respectively).

The results showed that religiosity could play a role in the tendency to body management, meaning that a higher level of religiosity led to a lower tendency to body management by affecting identity.