A cross cultural study of body image among adolescents and young adults

Pages: 205-216
Mohammad Farid Fahiz (Department of Psychology, Herat University, Herat, Afghanistan, South Asia)

Body image is the most common concerns of people nowadays. The concept of body image is now globally studied and known to be a multidimensional construct, consisting of appearance evaluation, appearance orientation, body areas satisfaction, and overweight preoccupation. In this study, an attempt has been made to compare the differences in body image between Afghans and Indians. The objective of the study was to investigate the body image of male and female adolescents and young adults across the three age groups from India and Afghanistan. A Multidimensional Body Self-Relation Questionnaire (MBSRQ) was used to collect data from 245 participants in both countries; Afghanistan (n = 119) and India (n = 126). The research found that there is a strong cultural effect on body image. It is also indicated that Afghans are more satisfied with their body than Indians but it is found that Indians have lesser fat anxiety than Afghans. And also it is found that Afghans have higher tendency of investment on body and are more attentive to their body than Indians. The effect of gender and age on body image was found to be partially significant. The limitation and scope for future study have been discussed.