1. SATISFACTION WITH BODY IMAGE AND HOW IT AFFECTS SELF-ESTEEM WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE IN RELATIONSHIP Between 6 months to 2 years

2. ■Why body Image satisfaction and self-esteems ?

3. Background - Terms ■Body image: the perception of the individual regarding what their physical body looks like. ■Body Image Satisfaction: how satisfied one is with their appearance including physical appearance and specific areas of one’s body. ■Committed relationship: a person who has been in a romantic relationship with the same person for a period more than 2 years and is still in the relationship at the time of the study. ■Casual dating: A person who has been in a relationship with the same person for less than a year; a person who is single, but has short-term relationships with a variety of people (usually sexual in nature). ■Mass media: any media used to broadcast message and images to the general audience. It includes, but is not limited to television, radio, magazines, newspapers, public signage, and the internet.

4. Background – Literature Review ■Mass media/body image ■Research has found that television depicts females that are 20% underweight and that approximately 76% of the female role models are underweight (Fouts and Burggraf, 2000). ■This sets the standard for female attractiveness and encourages women to lose unhealthy amounts of weight to meet those standards (Fouts and Burggraf, 2000). ■The connection between body dissatisfaction that is promoted by the mass media and the “thin ideals” encourage restrained eating behaviors that have detrimental health effects on the women (Mask and Blanchard, 2011).

5. Background – Literature Review ■Body image/self esteem ■Body image is considered to be one of the most important elements in self-evaluation and in the evaluation of others among adolescent girls (Thomson, Heinberg, Altabe, & Tentleff-Dunn, 1999). ■Self-esteem is major problem for adolescent girls growing up in mass consumer societies (Becker, Burwell, Herzog, & Hamburg et al, 2002). ■Self-esteem was found to be a factor in the ability to form relationships with others (Ulrich, Robins, & Widaman, 2012)

6. Objective of Study ■This study has the major focus on the effective analysis for the body image satisfaction level and its correlation with the stability in the relationships. The research takes into account the level of confidence for the people who are in relationship and also the individuals who are not committed with any relationship. This research thus considers the fact that whether there is any relation between people who are committed in relationships and who are not in relationship with the degree of body image’s satisfaction or not. The level of self-confidence as well as self-esteem are also considered to be important within the scope of this research as it will analyze the fact that there is any difference in self-confidence attributed to the difference in the physical appearances or not.

7. Research Questions ■Does a statistically significant correlation exist between being in a committed relationship and level of body satisfaction among women between the ages of 18-24? ■Can differences in body satisfaction be attributed to actual physical differences among the women in the study? ■Does a significant correlation exist between the type of relationship (married vs dating (>1year); casual dating vs single) and the level of body satisfaction among women between the ages of 18-24? ■Do those who consume mass media have lower self-esteem regardless of relationship status?

8. Hypotheses ■Women who are exposed to mass media more often are more likely to have lower self esteem, lower body image and body satisfaction (assuring the premise). ■The study is expected to find that women in relationships are more likely to have better self esteem, better body image, and more satisfaction with their bodies than women who are not in relationships. ■The study is expected to find that married and in a relationship of < 1 year have similar ratings of body image, self esteem, and body satisfaction; there is an expected difference between casual daters and single women in those ratings.

9. Participants ■400 college age women (18-24) recruited from area universities via departmental emails, Psychology classes, flyers, etc AND via social media (Facebook, twitter, etc) –200 women will fall into the “relationship” group ■100 married women ■100 women in a relationship of more than 1 year –200 women will fall into the “not a relationship” group ■100 “casual dater” women or those in a relationship of less than 1 year ■100 single women

10. Design ■Correlations between self-esteem/relationship status, body- image/relationship status, and self-confidence/relationship status will be analyzed. Correlations between type of relationship/self-esteem, type of relationship/body-image, and type of relationship/self-confidence will be analyzed as well

11. Methods ■Survey created via SurveyMonkey.com. Survey link will be distributed –Consent form –Demographic information –Identification of relationship status –Indication of amount and type of media consumed –State Self-Esteem Scale (SSES) ■Used because it analyzes 3 aspects of self esteem: performance, social, and appearance –Coppersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (CSEI) that was modified for adult use (Ryden 1978) ■Used because of the Lie Scale feature –The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (Avalos & Wood-Barcalow, 2015)

12. Sample Survey - State Self-Esteem Scale (SSES) ■1. I feel confident about my abilities. –1) Not at all 2) A little bit 3) Somewhat 4) Very Much 5) Extremely ■2. I am worried about whether I am regarded as a success or failure. –1) Not at all 2) A little bit 3) Somewhat 4) Very Much 5) Extremely ■3. I feel satisfied with the way my body looks right now. –1) Not at all 2) A little bit 3) Somewhat 4) Very Much 5) Extremely ■4. I feel frustrated or rattled about my performance. –1) Not at all 2) A little bit 3) Somewhat 4) Very Much 5) Extremely ■5. I feel that I am having trouble understanding things that I read. –1) Not at all 2) A little bit 3) Somewhat 4) Very Much 5) Extremely ■6. I feel that others respect and admire me. –1) Not at all 2) A little bit 3) Somewhat 4) Very Much 5) Extremely ■7. I am dissatisfied with my weight. –1) Not at all 2) A little bit 3) Somewhat 4) Very Much 5) Extremely

13. Sample Survey - Coppersmith Self- Esteem Inventory (CSEI) ■Like me Unlike me 1. I spend a lot of time daydreaming. 2. I’m pretty sure of myself. 3. I often wish I were someone else. 4. I’m easy to like. 5. My family and I have a lot of fun together. 6. I never worry about anything. 7. I find it very hard to talk in front of a group. 8. I wish I were younger. 9. There are lots of things about myself I’d change if I co

14. Procedure ■Surveys will be administered via Survey Monkey.com. Participants will obtain the survey link from their institution (Psych101, flyers, department emails, etc) or via social media (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc). Before starting the survey, participants will read and e-sign an informed consent page. All data will be collected anonymously in this manner.

15. Analysis ■Correlational study – probably linear –Pearson’s r

16. Future Directions ■Look at correlations between relationship status and self- esteem across cultures ■Males vs females ■Research motivations to change (work-out, wear make-up, etc) and relationship status ■Age differences ■Do the “love yourself” campaigns work, and if so do they work better on women in relationships or not?