AbstractsMedical & Health Science

Positive body image: The impact of general gratitude and body gratitude interventions

by Rovaun Lochner




Institution: Murdoch University
Department:
Year: 2015
Record ID: 1052759
Full text PDF: http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/26836/


Abstract

Previous research has focused primarily on reducing the effects of negative body image. While there has recently been a shift towards promoting positive body image, research into effective interventions is limited. One area that has shown some promise is the use of gratitude interventions to improve body image. Whilst previous research has focused on general gratitude interventions, the current study compared general gratitude with body-specific gratitude interventions to assess impact on positive body image, body dissatisfaction, and affect. Sixty-four participants took part in a 4-week web-based intervention and were randomly allocated into 3 conditions: body gratitude (n = 19), general gratitude (n = 22) and waitlist control (n = 23). In contrast to previous studies, results showed that in this sample, neither intervention condition improved gratitude, body dissatisfaction, positive body image or affect ratings. However the study does offer some directions for future research that may help to improve our understanding of the use of gratitude to improve body image.