UNM PSYCHOLOGY STUDY SEEKS FEMALE PARTICIPANTS FOR NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE RESEARCH

July 23, 2003

UNM PSYCHOLOGY STUDY SEEKS FEMALE PARTICIPANTS FOR NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE RESEARCH

If you’re a female who constantly worries about poor body image, then a current study in the Psychology Department at the University of New Mexico may prove helpful for those looking to improve perception of their body image.

The research project, under the guidance of project sponsors Denise Lash and Professor Jane Ellen Smith, is designed to help normal weight women who are dissatisfied with their bodies feel better about their shape and size. The study is currently seeking women who are normal weight for their height (within 20 percent of average).

Participants will answer a series of questionnaires designed to monitor body image over the course of a week, which usually takes less than 10 minutes a day. Participants will be eligible for a free body image workshop upon completion. Questions in the study pertain to appearance, eating and how one might think, feel or behave given a set of situations or circumstances.

“Since disliking one’s body is common amongst women, we are trying to recruit a treatment-seeking sample,” said Lash. “This should ensure that we get a group of women who have more severe body image issues than the average female. Ultimately, we are trying to gain further understanding of what drives negative body image in this population.”

In a recent major national survey regarding negative body image, 56 percent of women were unhappy with their body image. Overall, 30 percent of the adult population is overweight.

As part of the free body image workshop, participants discuss how negative body image is limiting (ex. not wearing shorts, sleeveless shirts, giving speeches in front of people). Participants will also explore “cognitive errors” that keep their current mentality of poor body image ongoing. Techniques are taught to recognize and combat the cognitive errors.

“It’s so common for women to be unhappy with their weight, that it’s normal,” says Lash.
Interested participants should call 277-7514 for a recorded message.

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