Browsing by Subject "Appearance comparison"
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    Appearance comparison and body dissatisfaction of expatriate women in Bangkok, Thailand
    (Assumption University Press, 2016) Nantaraj Mansuwan ; Weinstein, Ben
    Body dissatisfaction has a powerful influence in mental and physical wellbeing in women. It has been linked to depression, anxiety and eating disorders. The current study examined how relocating to Thailand was related to body dissatisfaction in expatriate women through appearance comparison. In Thailand, the average female BMI is roughly 15% less than those of women from the USA and the UK. Previous research has shown that women have the tendency to compare themselves unfavorably with other women who were slimmer, even though it was negatively influencing their body image and mental well-being. The current study examined the role of appearance comparison in development of body dissatisfaction in female expatriates who relocated to Thailand (n=107) by sampling those who were working and living in Bangkok. The Physical Comparison Scale - Revised, the Body Scale Questionnaire and the Stunkard Body Figure Scale were applied to this sample. The result implied that the frequency of appearance comparison in this sample remained at similar rates regardless of the length of time spent in Bangkok. Frequent appearance comparison was linked to higher levels of body dissatisfaction, this is consistent with previous studies' findings. It was also found in this sample that the level of body dissatisfaction was significantly linked to the perceived body discrepancy between the actual body shape, the ideal body shape and the perceived body shape of the average Thai women.
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    FACEBOOK USE, APPEARANCE COMPARISON, BODY DISSATISFACION, AND SELF-ESTEEM IN THAI FEMALE FACEBOOK USERS
    (Digital Production Press, Assumption University, 2018) Atita Uttravanich ; Blauw, Jon Nicholas
    It is well known that social media such as Facebook has gained popularity in recent years with its unique features facilitating communication among people from every part of the world. It can be the free space of self-presentation where users portray their flattering images through well-selected posts. Using correlational research design, this study aims to investigate the direct and indirect relationship between Facebook use, appearance comparison, body dissatisfaction, and self-esteem. Thai female Facebook users (n=171) aged between 20-74 years who subscribe the official page of six biggest provinces of Thailand (Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Kanchanaburi, and Chonburi) participated in online survey distributed via Facebook messenger. The result from statistical analysis shows that there is no direct relationship between Facebook use, body dissatisfaction and self-esteem. However, the findings indicated that such relationship is mediated by appearance comparison. This means while Thai women are using Facebook, they make appearance comparison on the site, and, thus, their body dissatisfaction increases whereas self-esteem decreases. The findings can be beneficial for Thai people in both research and practice areas. Future research should be conducted to better understand this relationship and to explore it in different populations or other social media platforms.