Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS
Volume 40, Issue 6, Pages 537-548Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/eat.20396
Keywords
pro-anorexia; Internet; affect; cognitions; behavioral expectations
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Objective: This study experimentally examined the effects of viewing a pro-anorexia website. Method: Following construction of a prototypic pro-anorexia website, 235 female undergraduates were randomly assigned to view either the pro-anorexia website or one of two comparison websites related to female fashion (using average-sized models) or home decor. Post-website affect, cognitions, and behavioral expectations were examined along with moderator effects. Results: Study participants exposed to the pro-anorexia website had greater negative affect, lower social self-esteem, and lower appearance self-efficacy post-welbsite than those who viewed a comparison website. Additionally, they perceived themselves as heavier, reported a greater likelihood of exercising and thinking about their weight in the near future, and engaged in more image comparison. Minimal support was found for moderator effects. Conclusion: Results provide an empirical basis for concern (expressed by clinicians, researchers, the media) that pro-anorexia websites are a troubling new form of thin-ideal exposure that warrants further examination. (c) 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available