Discussion

 
 
General Disscussion
     The hypothesis of this study was that body satisfaction and eating behaviors are positively correlated to perceived social support.  This hypothesis was partially supported.  A relationship was found between the variables of body satisfaction, eating behaviors, and perceived social support.  However, statistical significance of this relationship was not consistent across the different measurements used for assessment. 
     The BIAQ was administered to look at the behaviors that co-exist with body image disturbance.  This study correlated scores from this measure to scores from measures of perceived social support.  There is a significant positive relationship between these body image disturbance behaviors and the amount of interpersonal distrust an individual has.  This relationship supports the hypothesis because high levels of interpersonal distrust could mean individuals are not able to form close relationships with others.  This inability to form close relationships is related to higher instances of body image disturbance behaviors. 
     Significant negative relationships were found when comparing the BIAQ to the MSPSS, the PSSFr, and the PSSFa.  The negative correlations mean that these body image disturbance behaviors are more prevalent in individuals who perceive less social support. 
     A significant negative correlation was found when comparing Interpersonal Distrust and Body Areas Satisfaction.  This relationship also supports the hypothesis because it means that college women who are unable to form close relationships also experience less satisfaction with their bodies. 
     A significant positive correlation was found when comparing body areas satisfaction and the MSPSS.  This correlation supports the hypothesis because it demonstrates that the more perceived support a college woman has, the more satisfied she is with her body.  However, when breaking down this perceived support into friend and familial support, using the PSSFr and the PSSFa, the significance disappears.  No significant correlation was found when comparing scores on the Body Area Satisfaction subscale to the PSSFr and the PSSFa, thereby not supporting the hypothesis.
     When looking at the measurement of body satisfaction from the subscale of the same name of the EDI-II, the support of the hypothesis is also mixed.  No significance was found when looking at the relationship between body dissatisfaction and interpersonal distrust and perceived social support from friends.  One possible explanation for the lack of significance between body satisfaction and friend social support is that the individuals surveyed in this study may actually perceive they do not have friends. This lack of friendship may make the questions about friends irrelevant to some women surveyed. 
     In agreement with this explanation, is the significant negative correlation found between body dissatisfaction and perceived familial support.  Most people have a family and, therefore, find the questions about family pertinent to them.  The perception of overall social support, from the MSPSS, is also significantly negatively correlated to body dissatisfaction.  Therefore, overall there appears to be support of the hypothesis regarding social support and body dissatisfaction.  However, when looking specifically at the correlation to friend support, there is not support for the hypothesis.
     The Drive for Thinness and Bulimia subscales of the EDI-II were administered to look at the eating behaviors and attitudes of college women.  When comparing the subscales to measures of perceived social support, the results are similar.  Both Drive for Thinness and Bulimia are significantly positively correlated with Interpersonal Distrust.  This correlation supports the hypothesis because it demonstrates that females with disordered eating habits and attitudes have a harder time forming close relationships. 
    When comparing these subscales to perceived social support using the MSPSS, the hypothesis is again supported.  Both subscales are significantly negatively correlated to the MSPSS, meaning individuals with more disordered eating patterns perceive less support in their lives.  However, when looking specifically at the support from either friends or family, no correlation was found in relation to either subscale.  This lack of relationship is not consistent with the predictions of the hypothesis.

Research Recommendations
     A number of problems arose throughout the entirety of this study and should be addressed before any future research is conducted.  A major factor in the inconsistency of the results may be the actual measures used for this study.  Three of the questionnaires, the MSPSS, the PSSFr, and the PSSFa, did not have normative data available for reference.  This lack of norms may indicate that these measures may not be completely developed.  Therefore, different measures may be more accurate and desirable in future research of perceived social support.
    A second problem with the questionnaires is a typographical error that appeared in the publication of the Perceived Social Support-Friend Scale used in this study.  This error resulted in the accidental omission of one of the questions.  Therefore, all of the participants received a zero score for that question.  This zero score may have skewed the results in some way.  When using this scale in the future, an accurate scale should be used.
    Another problem that arose is with the sample of participants used.  Since the participants had voluntary signed up for the study in exchange for class credit, the sample may not be an accurate representation of females in that age group.  It was also difficult to recruit enough participants since the participant pool had been saturated.  Therefore, some participants did not complete the questionnaires under the ideal conditions.  Namely, 8 of the participants took the questionnaires and completed them in their rooms.  This lack of universality in the administration of the questionnaires is a flaw in the study which must be corrected for any future research.
    Finally, results in the study were based on self-report measures which may not be accurate.  Although anonymity was assured for all the participants, some may have felt uncomfortable being completely honest.  Also, some participants may have answered in a way that was socially desirable.  Therefore, future studies that are similar would be improved by adding a scale to measure an individual’s tendency to lie.

Future Research
     The current study sought to look at the body satisfaction, eating behaviors, and interpersonal relationships in a female college sample.  It was found that body satisfaction, eating behaviors, and perceived relationships were significantly correlated on a number of different scales administered.  A stronger correlation was found between these variables when a clinical sample was isolated from the college sample. 
     Future research would benefit by looking at these variables in a more generalizable sample.  For example, different age groups, race, and gender could be looked at to make the results more applicable to the general population.  It should also be noted that the participants were all students at a small, Catholic college.  Therefore, religion may also be a dimension that could be diversified.
     In order to make the results more objective, friends and families of the participants could be interviewed.  The current study was based solely on the subjective view of the participant herself.  It would be interesting to seek the opinion of the participants’ friends and families regarding the amount of social support they feel they offer the participant.  Therefore, future research should focus on improving the generalizibility and objectivity of the results.
     Another direction future research could take would be to look further at females with body satisfaction and eating behavior scores elevated in the clinical range.  It would be interesting to correlate their scores on body satisfaction and eating behavior to perceived social support.  Regardless of the direction taken on the research of this topic, this study surfaced intriguing results and further research should be conducted in this area. 
 

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