Media influence and body image in 8-11-year-old boys and girls: A preliminary report on the multidimensional media influence scale

Objective: To develop a scale for the assessment of multiple components of a media-based influence on body image. Method: Seventy-five boys and 107 gi rls, rang,ng In age from 8 to 11, completed a measure designed to assess fi ve facets of a media influence previously conceptualized by researchers. Re sults: Three distinct scales emerged, which appeared to focus on concepts d efined as internalization, awareness, and pressure. Correlations between su bscales of the Multidimensional Media influence Scale (MMIS) and the Eating Disorder inventory-Body Dissatisfaction subscale were significant for both boys and girls. Girls had higher levels on all three subscales and regress ion analyses indicated that the MMIS scores predicted 30% of the variance a ssociated with body dissatisfaction for girls, but an R-2 of only .10 emerg ed for boys. Internalization levels predicted significant variance beyond t hat explained by awareness and pressures, but only for the female sample. D iscussion: The findings are discussed with regard to the usefulness of the MMIS for future research and the role of internalization as a risk factor f or the development of body image disturbances and eating disorders. (C) 200 0 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.