Dissertation Summaries and Abstracts in Body Image

Body Image 9 (2012) 192

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Body Image j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / b o d y i m a g e

Dissertation Summaries and Abstracts Janette Olsen Body image in middle-aged Mormon women: A comparative case study Dissertation completed: August 2010; University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (Dissertation advisor: Dr. Justine J. Reel) Body image is a multifaceted construct developed from perceived experiences and personal and cultural attitudes towards the body. Women are more vulnerable than men to internal and external influences regarding negative body image including age, marital status, and culture. A qualitative comparative case study design explored how 10 lifelong, middle-aged LDS women (5 married with children and 5 single and never married) experienced body image through their perceptions of religiosity and spirituality. Each participant completed three in-person interviews and three audio or paper journals, to facilitate trustworthiness, which were transcribed and analyzed for themes. The main resultant themes included the influence of the birth and/or marriage family, the constant comparison between three theoretical ideals and reality, choice versus chosen with marital status, and spirituality. Findings suggest that religious affiliation, marital status, and spirituality can affect body image. Specifically, a sense of spirituality operated as a protecting influence.

Abstract URL: http://about.elsevier.com/bodyimage/Vol9Iss1/index.html

doi:10.1016/S1740-1445(11)00164-1