The influence of religious orientation, spiritual well-being, educational setting, and social comparison on body image and eating disturbance in Jewish women.
Item
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Title
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The influence of religious orientation, spiritual well-being, educational setting, and social comparison on body image and eating disturbance in Jewish women.
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Identifier
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AAI3283628
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identifier
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3283628
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Creator
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Weinberger-Litman, Sarah Leah.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Laura A. Rabin
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Date
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2007
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Experimental | Psychology, Physiological | Jewish Studies | Women's Studies
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Abstract
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While numerous sociocultural influences have been proposed in the etiology of eating disorders (ED), the roles of religion and religious orientation have largely been ignored and have tended to exclude Jewish women. This study explores the roles of religious orientation, spiritual well-being, social comparison, and educational setting on the development of body image and eating disturbance among Jewish women. Participants included 301 adolescent and young adult Jewish women recruited from two colleges and one Yeshiva high school in the New York City area. Study results showed that religious orientation had a strong influence on body dissatisfaction and eating disturbance as well as on other sociocultural variables that serve as predictors of eating disturbance. Participants with an intrinsic religious orientation had consistently lower scores (indicating less pathology) on measures of body dissatisfaction, eating disturbance, thin-ideal internalization, adherence to the Superwoman Ideal, and measures of social comparison as compared to those with an extrinsic, pro-religious, or anti-religious orientation. Sociocultural attitudes towards appearance and adherence to the Superwoman Ideal mediated the relationship observed between religious orientation and eating disorder symptomatology. Educational setting did not influence scores of body dissatisfaction or eating disturbance while those who attended all-girls' schools had higher levels of adherence to the Superwoman Ideal and thin-ideal internalization as compared their coed school counterparts. These findings can be used to design therapeutic/and or experimental interventions for encouraging an intrinsic religious orientation in order to promote positive body image and decrease risk factors for disordered eating among Jewish women.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
