Acculturative Stress and Body Dissatisfaction among Asian American Women

Abstract

The purpose of this study is was to examine the association between acculturative stress and body dissatisfaction among Asian American female emerging adults using the tripartite influence model. Participants (N = 102) comprised of Asian American female students attending a mid-sized university in Maryland, who were recruited from psychology courses, student organizations, and flyers posted around campus. The mean age for the sample was 19.5 years old (SD = 1.89; range = 18 to 25). The sample was comprised of 42.2% South Asian, 34.3% East Asian, and 23.5% South East Asian self-identified participants. A series of multiple regression analyses found that the internalization of the thinness ideal mediated the association between the tripartite sociocultural influences and body dissatisfaction. Moderation analysis indicated that acculturative stress did not moderate the indirect or direct pathways of the tripartite influence model. These findings underscore the important role of the internalization of thinness as a potential mediating pathway for the influences of sociocultural factors on body dissatisfaction, and the need for future research to clarify the role of acculturative stress in the model of body dissatisfaction among Asian American emerging adult women.