Objectification Theory: Applicability in a Sample of Rio Grande do Sul/Brazil

Abstract The applicability of objectification theory on undergraduate female students from Rio Grande do Sul was analyzed, examining if the constructs of self-objectification, self-surveillance, appearance anxiety and body shame worked to predict disordered eating and depressive symptomatology. Participants were female undergraduate students from Rio Grande do Sul. Two quantitative, cross-sectional studies were conducted. On the first one (n = 622), the psychometric characteristics of the adapted instruments (English-Portuguese) were evaluated. On the second one, only data provided by Psychology students (n = 371) was used to test the framework using the innovative method of Bayesian Networks. Results indicate that the tested variables predict outcomes related to depression and eating disorders, partially explaining the gender disparity in the development of these pathologies. Objectification theory is useful to understand how the phenomenon can affect the mental health of Brazilian women.

摘要 本研究分析了客体化理论（objectification theory）在南里奥格兰德州（Rio Grande do Sul）女性本科生中的适用性，旨在检验自我客体化、自我监控、外貌焦虑与身体羞耻感等构念是否可预测进食紊乱与抑郁症状群。研究对象为南里奥格兰德州的女性本科生，共开展两项定量横断面研究：第一项研究（样本量n=622）对英葡双语改编的测评工具进行了心理测量学特征评估；第二项研究仅纳入心理学专业本科生的数据（n=371），采用贝叶斯网络（Bayesian Networks）这一创新方法验证研究框架。结果显示，所检验的变量可有效预测抑郁与进食紊乱相关结局，部分解释了此类病症发病过程中的性别差异。客体化理论有助于理解该现象如何影响巴西女性的心理健康。