Date of Award

2013

Publisher

North Dakota State University

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Awarded

Master of Science (MS)

Program

Couple and Family Therapy

Department

Human Development and Family Science

College

Human Sciences and Education

Faculty Advisor

Salafia, Elizabeth

Description

During adolescence, individuals often experience dating for the first time, and negative body image as a result of increased socialization. In this study, we sought to investigate the connection between dating and body image among adolescents. A self-report questionnaire was given to 85 girls and 75 boys, and included measures of current dating status, desired dating status, drive for muscularity, drive for thinness, and body dissatisfaction. We found no significant relationships between dating status and body image for girls or boys. However, when examining the links between desire to date and body image, we found that girls who wanted to date had significantly higher levels of drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction than girls who did not want to date. It is likely that adolescent girls who are interested in dating have greater body image concerns because they want to appear thinner and more attractive to potential dating partners.

Rights

NDSU Policy 190.6.2

Rights Link

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf

Handle Identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/10365/26910

Download

Share

COinS