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Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating Among Early Adolescents From Korea and the US

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Abstract

Multidimensional measures of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating were studied in samples of 12–15 years old middle school children. Consistent with feminist theories associating body dissatisfaction with rapid social change, Korean girls (n = 272) exhibited the greatest body dissatisfaction and the most behaviors associated with disordered eating and were followed in order by Korean boys (n = 276), US girls (n = 251), and US boys (n = 220). The results, which replicated Jung and Forbes (2006) report of greater body dissatisfaction among Korean than among US college women, suggest that (1) these differences originate prior to adolescence, and (2) the sociocultural variables producing greater body dissatisfaction in Korean girls and women also influence body dissatisfaction among boys.

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Acknowledgement

The authors thank Jung-Im Oh, Jung-Hyun Lee, Mary Homan, Paula Dobrow, David A. Frederick, and Linda L. Collinsworth.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies, University of Delaware, 304 Alison Hall West, Newark, DE, 19716, USA

    Jaehee Jung

  2. Millikin University, Decatur, IL, USA

    Gordon B. Forbes

  3. Korea University, Seoul, South Korea

    Yoon-jung Lee

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  1. Jaehee Jung
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  2. Gordon B. Forbes
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  3. Yoon-jung Lee
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Correspondence to Jaehee Jung.

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This project was funded by the University of Delaware’s International Research Award.

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Jung, J., Forbes, G.B. & Lee, Yj. Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating Among Early Adolescents From Korea and the US. Sex Roles 61, 42–54 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-009-9609-5

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