SOCIOCULTURAL PRESSURES INFLUENCE BODY DISSATISFACTION AND EATING BEHAVIORS AMONG PAKISTANI AND AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Abstract

The sociocultural pressures are central to the emergence of a disordered eating attitude and body dissatisfaction, which differ by culture and affect the mental health and well-being of young adults within societies all over the world. In the present cross-sectional study, we investigated the moderating role of sociocultural attitudes toward appearance in the relationship between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating attitudes among university students from Pakistan and Australia. A sample of 341 students (131 males, 209 females; aged 18–35) was recruited. Standard scales were used, including the Body Esteem Scale (BES), the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Scale (SAT), and the Disordered Eating Attitude Scale (DEAS). Analysis methods like ANOVA, t-tests, correlation, and moderation showed a strong association between body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and sociocultural attitudes. Results showed that body dissatisfaction was significantly correlated with disordered eating attitudes (r = 0.58, p = 0.001), while sociocultural attitudes showed an entirely strong positive connection with disordered eating attitudes (r = 0.46, p = 0.001), . Moderation analysis revealed that the connection between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating (interaction term β = 0.21, p < 0.01) was much influenced by sociocultural attitudes, indicating that a greater internalization of sociocultural appearance standards enhanced this correlation. Females showed higher ratings in body dissatisfaction (M = 2.91, SD = 0.64) and disordered eating attitudes (M = 3.05, SD = 0.55) compared to male (M = 2.41, SD = 0.59 and M = 2.61, SD = 0.55, respectively; p < 0.01). Moreover, based on cross-cultural ethnicity, Pakistani students show more body dissatisfaction (M = 2.85, SD = 0.63) than Australian students (M = 2.58, SD = 0.61; p < 0.05), whereas Australian students exhibited elevated sociocultural internalization ratings. In conclusion, the present study validates that sociocultural factors influence body dissatisfaction and eating behaviors among Pakistani and Australian university students, suggesting that there is the need for culturally sensitive interventions that promote the psychological wellbeing of university students.