Structural Model of Attitude towards Body Image Based on Achievement Identity Status with Mediating Roles of Sociocultural Attitude towards Appearance and Self-Acceptance

This is a descriptive correlational study of the type of structural equation conducted aiming at investigating the structural model of attitude towards body image based on the Achievement Identity Status with the mediating role of sociocultural attitude towards appearance and self-acceptance among adolescent girls.

Methods and Materials:

 The study’s statistical population included all adolescent girls studying in the secondary level in Isfahan city in the academic year 2020-2019, 567 of whom were chosen by cluster random sampling, so that one of the six districts of education in Isfahan (District 5) was randomly selected and among the schools of this district, six schools and from each school, five classes (30 classes in total) were randomly selected and asked to participate in the study. To collect data, Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (EOM-EIS-2), sociocultural attitudes towards appearance questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3), and unconditional self-acceptance questionnaire (USAQ) were used. To analyze the data, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used with AMOS.

According to the findings, there is a significant relationship between the variables of identity status, sociocultural attitude towards appearance, and self-acceptance and attitude towards body image. Moreover, the findings revealed the effect of the achievement identity status on the attitude towards body image by mediating role of sociocultural attitude towards appearance and self-acceptance, and among adolescent girls, the proposed model has a good fit.

The identity status affects the type of people’s attitude towards their body image as their first experienced ego by mediating role of the sociocultural attitude towards appearance and self-acceptance; hence, to improve the people’s attitude towards their body image, counseling centers, beauty centers, and schools are suggested to consider the aforementioned variables.