| dc.description.abstract | Eating, weight, and shape concerns (EWS) are prevalent among college women,
and women with EWS concerns tend to experience difficulties in the domain of
interpersonal functioning. For a young woman, romantic relationships represent one of the
most important aspects of her interpersonal world; thus, an exploration of the romantic
relationships of women with EWS concerns may potentially impact the risk assessment,
prevention, and treatment of these women. This study used a longitudinal design to
examine the relations between EWS concerns and romantic relationships in 88 college
women and their heterosexual partners. Participants completed questionnaires at two time
points spaced approximately two months apart. Results revealed that women’s relationship
outcomes did not predict changes in their EWS concerns over the subsequent two months,
but relationship negative events for men predicted a worsening of women’s EWS concerns.
This finding contradicts the common hypothesis that the influence between women’s EWS
concerns and romantic relationship outcomes is bi-directional. Men’s desired change in
their partners’ bodies predicted women’s EWS concerns cross-sectionally and
longitudinally; however, once controlling for Body Mass Index, most results were no
longer significant. Thus, it seems that a woman’s actual body weight may be driving both
her partner’s satisfaction with her body and her own EWS concerns. Results for analyses determining whether women’s EWS concerns predicted subsequent changes in relationship
outcomes indicated that women’s body image during physical intimacy was the only EWS
variable that significantly or marginally predicted a worsening of all relationship outcomes
for both men and women. This finding provides further support for previous research
suggesting that women’s body image problems may lead to avoidance or uneasiness with
physical intimacy, which in turn may impact relationship functioning. Finally, men’s
desired change in their partner’s bodies predicted only men’s own relationship outcomes
cross-sectionally, and only women’s relationship outcomes longitudinally. Overall, this
study highlights the importance of longitudinal research and of assessing both partners
when exploring the relations between women’s EWS concerns and romantic relationship
outcomes. | en |
