Relation between media use and thin-ideal internalization: University undergraduates

Abstract

The aims of the present study were to construct a Japanese version of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 Revised (SATAQ-3R), which was developed by Thompson, van den Berg, Keery, Williams, Shroff, Haselhuhn, & Boroughs (2000), and examine the relation between media use and thin-ideal internalization in Japan. In Study 1, university seniors (total N = 1,054 in 4 samples) completed a 29-item questionnaire. Factor analysis revealed 4 factors, which were selected for the Japanese version of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 Revised. Validity of the instrument was confirmed, and its internal consistency was checked. Study 2, which used the scores on the Japanese instrument of most of the same participants, examined the relation between the frequency of use of media (such as Internet, television, and magazines) and those scores. The results indicated that the females who were influenced by the media had a more internalized thin-ideal than the males did. However, the males had a more internalized athlete-ideal than the females did. These results suggest that media literacy education may be useful in preventing an increase in eating disorders in Japan.