Shaping the Effects of Television on Adolescents' Body Image Disturbance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between several forms of parental mediation and adolescents' television processing, emotions while viewing, and body image disturbance. A survey of both parents and adolescents (at two stages) revealed that most traditional measures of parental mediation were not significantly related to any adolescent outcomes. However, measures that captured the extent to which parents discussed characters' appearance and body size were consistent predictors of the same outcomes. The data revealed that parental mediation of this incidental content—even if it criticized the television images—encouraged deep processing of the images and negative emotions, which in turn led to indicators of body image disturbance. The implications of these findings for research on both parental mediation and body image are discussed.