Self-objectification, eating disorders, and mental health of senior high school female students in Bangkok
Keywords:
Body shame, eating disorders, EAT-26, mental health, self-objectificationAbstract
Background: High school female students have higher self-objectification more than others. Many studies showed that self-objectification was positively correlated with eating disorders and negative mental health outcomes.
Objectives: To study relationships among self-objectification, eating disorders, and mental health of senior high school female students in Bangkok and to study predictors of eating disorders.
Methods: The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in high school female students who was studying in Mathayom 6th from 6 schools in Bangkok. The data were collected by questionnaires including demographic data questionnaire, self-objectification questionnaire, the Eating Attitudes Test-26 in Thai version (EAT-26), and Thai Mental Health Indicator-15 (TMHI-15).
Results: The total subjects were 395; their mean age was 17.7 0.5 years. Eating disorders (EAT
12) were found 23.8%. Self-objectification was positively correlated with eating disorders (r = 0.34, P < 0.01). Body surveillance (r = 0.31, P < 0.01), body shame (r = 0.33, P < 0.01), and control belief were positively correlated with eating disorders (r = 0.12, P < 0.05). In addition, self-objectification was negatively correlated with mental health. Moreover, body shame (
= 0.22) and body surveillance (
= 0.18) could significantly predict eating disorders.
Conclusion: Self-objectification and three domains (body surveillance, body shame, and control belief) were related with eating disorders and poor mental health. It was concerned that self-objectification could lead to negative psychological outcomes.
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