Citation/Abstract

The contributions of risk and protective factors to internalization of the thin ideal were examined for a sample of 348 female undergraduate students. Risk factors included family and friend focus on weight and dieting and media exposure. Protective factors included family and friend support, intrinsic motivation, and media knowledge. Using linear and hierarchical regression, results indicate that family focus on weight and dieting and friend focus on weight and dieting each predicted thin ideal internalization, with friend focus on weight and dieting contributing a significant and unique amount of variance above and beyond that of family focus on weight and dieting (11.5%). In addition, media exposure accounted for the most variance in thin ideal internalization (17.7%). Protective factors were examined using moderational analyses. No moderation effects were elucidated. Future directions for research are suggested and important implications in terms of prevention and treatment are discussed.