Body satisfaction and self-esteem among middle-aged and older women: the mediating roles of social and temporal comparisons and self-objectification

Abstract

Objectives: The relationship between body satisfaction and self-esteem among older women is understudied, in particular the potential mechanisms underlying the relationship. The purpose of this study was to investigate social and temporal comparisons and self-objectification, their relationship to body satisfaction and self-esteem, and the extent to which they mediated the relationship between body satisfaction and self-esteem.

Method: Women (N = 180) between the ages of 55 and 91 (mean age = 66 years) completed questionnaires assessing body satisfaction, self-esteem, social and temporal comparisons, and self-objectification.

Results: Most correlations between body satisfaction, social and temporal comparisons, self-objectification, and self-esteem were highly significant in the expected directions. Upward temporal comparison was used most frequently followed by downward social comparison. Upward temporal comparisons most often targeted the 30 s and 40 s, while social comparisons most often targeted same age peers. Women were more likely to endorse competence-based over appearance-based self-objectification items. Upward and downward social comparison mediated the relationship between body satisfaction and self-esteem, with the strongest indirect effects among younger women.

Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of temporal and social comparison in maintaining body satisfaction among middle-aged and older women and their tendency to emphasize competence versus appearance in evaluating their bodies. Results are discussed in the context of developmental and cohort effects that influence body satisfaction among older women.

Keywords:

• Body satisfaction
• self-esteem
• social and temporal comparison
• self-objectification

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 Participants were also asked “When it comes to your physical appearance, how often do you compare yourself to a time in your past when you looked less attractive?” (Downward Temporal Comparison). However, the frequency of responses was very low and thus this question was omitted from the analyses.