Weight teasing and body image in preadolescent girls: social support as a moderator variable

The purpose of the current study was to examine weight teasing and social support variables on body image as an outcome variable. Participants consisted of 251 female preadolescents between 4th and 7th grade, ages 9 to 14 years. Participants completed self-report measures of body image (The Body Esteem Scale), weight teasing (McKnight Risk Factor Survey-IV), and social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support). The study scales were tested for reliability, which ranged from α=.89 to α=.92. Major hypotheses examined: (1) the correlational relationship between weight teasing and body image, and (2) social support as a moderator on the relationship between weight teasing and body image. The moderation hypothesis was examined using recommendations from Baron and Kenny (1986) and Frazier, Barron, and Tix (2004). The correlation between weight teasing and body image was moderate (r=-.54), and a stronger relationship than hypothesized. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to examine Hypothesis Two. Social support showed a partial moderation effect on the relationship between weight teasing and body image in preadolescent females. Hierarchical regression analysis yielded a significant interaction between the predictor variables on the outcome variable (β=-.52, p=.002). Social support showed a relationship with body image (β=.70, p.001) in hierarchical regression analysis, however, the regression did not yield a significant main effect for weight teasing (β=.09, p=.60). Findings suggest that those with high levels of social support have healthier levels of body image.