The Role of Body Compassion in the Risk of Eating Disorders: Mediational Effects of Body Appreciation and Body Shame / El Papel de la Compasión Hacia el Cuerpo en el Riesgo de Trastornos Alimentarios: Efectos mediadores de la Apreciación Corporal y la Vergüenza Corpora

Background: Body compassion is a protective factor in the field of eating disorders (ED) that has been associated with higher body appreciation and lower body shame. However, more studies are needed in order to disentangle the protective role of compassion in regard to the risk of ED. The study’s aims were to (1) analyze the psychometric properties of the Spanish adaptation of the Body Compassion Scale (BCS) and (2) determine whether body appreciation and body shame were mediators in the relationship between body compassion and the risk of ED. Method: 288 women (range: 18-40 years old; M = 24.65 ± 5.02) from the general Spanish population completed online questionnaires. Results: The Spanish adaptation of the BCS was reliable and valid. Results of a serial and parallel mediation model confirmed the protective role of body compassion and body appreciation on body shame and the risk of ED, accounting for 68.88% of the variance. Conclusions: Findings indicate that women who present higher body compassion tend to show higher body appreciation, which in turn leads to lower internal body shame and lower risk of ED. These results support the need to develop a positive and compassionate relationship with one’s body, in order to prevent ED.(AU)

Antecedentes: La compasión hacia el cuerpo (CC) es un factor protector en el campo de los trastornos alimentarios (TA) que se ha asociado con una mayor apreciación y una menor vergüenza corporales. Sin embargo, se necesitan más estudios para desentrañar el papel protector de la CC en el riesgo de TA. Los objetivos fueron examinar (1) las propiedades psicométricas de la adaptación española de la Escala de Compasión hacia el cuerpo y (2) si la apreciación y la vergüenza corporales eran mediadoras entre la CC y el riesgo de TA. Método: 288 mujeres (rango: 18-40 años; M = 24.65 ± 5.02) de la población general española cumplimentaron cuestionarios online. Resultados: La escala era fiable y válida. Un modelo de mediación serial-paralelo confirmó el papel protector de la CC y la apreciación corporal sobre la vergüenza corporal y el riesgo de TA, explicando el 68,88% de la varianza. Conclusiones: Los resultados indican que las mujeres que presentan mayor CC tienden a mostrar mayor apreciación corporal, lo que conduce a una menor vergüenza corporal interna y un menor riesgo de TA. Estos resultados apoyan la necesidad de promover una relación positiva y compasiva con el cuerpo con el fin de prevenir TA.(AU)

Connecting the Dots Between Mindset and Impostor Phenomenon, via Fear of Failure and Goal Orientation, in Working Adults.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between mindset and impostor phenomenon, via the explanatory role of fear of failure and goal orientation in the work domain. Only one known study has previously connected mindset and impostor phenomenon in the scientific literature among females in a university setting. Data was collected from 201 working adults, with a roughly equal male-female ratio, from a range of sectors in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and United States. Participants completed an online survey comprising the Implicit Theories of Intelligence Scale, the Performance Failure Appraisal Inventory, Work Domain Goal Orientation Instrument, and the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS). We tested a serial-parallel mediation model using structural equation modeling. The results suggest that people with a fixed mindset tend to experience more impostor phenomenon at work and this relationship is predominantly explained by their fear of failure. Further, when employees are also motivated by a performance avoid goal orientation, the relationship increases in strength. This indirect relationship suggests that staff training, and coaching interventions designed to increase people's belief that they can develop their abilities results in a reduction of their fear of failure and in their motivation to want to avoid showing their inability at work. The results also suggest cultivating environments that promote a growth mindset and learning goal orientation, alongside the safety to fail, could lessen the negative effects of having a fixed mindset, reduce fear of failure, and alleviate impostor phenomenon's negative impact on employee career development and wellbeing.