Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-8mjnm Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T20:50:33.881Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MENSTRUAL CYCLE CHARACTERISTICS AND PERCEIVED BODY IMAGE: A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY OF POLISH FEMALE ADOLESCENTS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 September 2015

Maria Kaczmarek*
Affiliation:
Department of Human Biological Development, Institute of Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland
Sylwia Trambacz-Oleszak
Affiliation:
Department of Human Biological Development, Institute of Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland
*
1Corresponding author. Email: makac@amu.edu.pl

Summary

The increasing prevalence of negative body perceptions among adolescent girls and the tendency towards wishing to be thinner have become a cultural norm in Western culture. Adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable to developing a negative body image due to physical and sexual changes occurring during puberty. This study aimed to evaluate the association between different measures of body image perceptions and different phases of the menstrual cycle after controlling for weight status and other potential confounders in Polish adolescent girls aged 12–18 years. Three-hundred and thirty participants of a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2009, normally cycling and with no eating disorders, completed a background questionnaire and the Stunkard Figure Rating Scale, and their anthropometric measurements were collected. The dependent outcome variables were measures of body image (actual body image, ideal body image and ideal-self discrepancy) and dichotomous body image perception (satisfied versus dissatisfied) adjusted for other predictor factors: socio-demographic variables, menstrual history and cycle phases, and weight status. One-way ANOVA indicated that weight status, age at menarche and menstrual cycle phase were associated with actual body image and rate of ideal-self discrepancy. Ideal body image was associated with weight status and menstrual cycle phase. General logistic regression models were constructed to evaluate associations of body dissatisfaction and all potential predictor variables. The final selected model of the multiple logistic regression analysis using the backward elimination procedure revealed that adjusted for other factors, negative body image was significantly associated with different phases of the menstrual cycle (ptrend=0.033) and increasing body weight status (ptrend=0.0007). The likelihood of body dissatisfaction was greatest during the premenstrual phase of the menstrual cycle (OR=2.38; 95% CI 1.06, 5.32) and among girls in obesity class I (OR=8.04; 95% CI 2.37, 27.26). The study confirmed the association between body image dissatisfaction in adolescent girls and different phases of the menstrual cycle after controlling for weight status. The issue of negative body self-image is not only of cognitive, but also of practical value as understanding better the factors contributing to the formation of a negative body image may be instrumental in developing preventive health programmes targeted at young people.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press, 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abraham, S., Boyd, C., Lal, M., Luscombe, G. & Taylor, A. (2009) Time since menarche, weight gain and body image awareness among adolescent girls: onset of eating disorders? Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology 30(2), 8994.Google Scholar
Al Sabbah, H., Vereecken, C. A., Elgar, F. J., Nansel, T., Aasvee, K. & Abdeen, Z. (2009) Body weight dissatisfaction and communication with parents among adolescents in 24 countries: international cross-sectional survey. BioMed Central Public Health 9, 52.Google Scholar
Al Subaie, A. (2000) Some correlates of dieting behaviour in Saudi schoolgirls. International Journal of Eating Disorders 28, 242246.Google Scholar
Alsaker, F. D. & Flammer, A. (2006) Pubertal maturation. In Jackson, S. & Goossens, L. (eds) Handbook of Adolescent Development. Psychology Press, New York.Google Scholar
Altabe, M. & Thompson, J. K. (1990) Menstrual cycle, body image, and eating disturbance. International Journal of Eating Disorders 9(4), 395401.Google Scholar
Baca-Garcia, E., Diaz-Sastres, C., Ceverino, A., Perez-Rodriguez, M. M., Navarro-Jimenez, R., Lopez-Castroman, J. et al. (2010) Suicide attempts among women during low estradiol/low progesterone states. Journal of Psychiatric Research 44(4), 209214.Google Scholar
Bair, A., Steele, J. R. & Mills, J. S. (2014) Do these norms make me look fat? The effect of exposure to others’ body preferences on personal body ideals. Body Image 11, 275281.Google Scholar
Barker, E. T. & Galambos, N. L. (2003) Body dissatisfaction of adolescent girls and boys: risk and resource factors. Journal of Early Adolescence 23, 141165.Google Scholar
Bogin, B. (2005) Patterns of Human Growth, 2nd edn. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Carr-Nangle, R. E., Johnson, W. G., Bergeron, K. C. & Nangle, D. W. (1994) Body image changes over the menstrual cycle in normal participants. International Journal of Eating Disorders 16, 267273.Google Scholar
Cash, T. F. & Pruzinsky, T. (1990) Body Images: Development, Deviance, and Change. Guilford Press, New York.Google Scholar
Cash, T. F. & Smolak, L. (2011) Understanding body images: historical and contemporary perspectives. In Cash, T. F. & Smolak, L. (eds) Body Image: A Handbook of Science, Practice, and Prevention, 2nd edn. Guilford Press, New York, pp. 312.Google Scholar
Cash, T. F. & Szymanski, M. L. (1995) The development and validation of the Body-Image Ideals Questionnaire. Journal of Personality Assessment 64(3), 466477.Google Scholar
Cohn, L. D., Adler, N. E., Irwin, C. E., Millstein, S. G., Kegeles, S. M. & Stone, G. (1987) Body-figure preferences in male and female adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 96, 276279.Google Scholar
Cole, T. J., Bellizzi, M. C., Flegal, K. M. & Dietz, W. H. (2000) Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide: international survey. British Medical Journal 320, 12401243.Google Scholar
Cole, T. J., Flegal, K. M., Nicholls, D. & Jackson, A. A. (2007) Body mass index cut offs to define thinness in children and adolescents: international survey. British Medical Journal 335, 194201.Google Scholar
de Guzman, N. S. & Nishina, A. (2013) A longitudinal study of body dissatisfaction and pubertal timing in an ethnically diverse adolescent sample. Body Image 11, 6871.Google Scholar
Duncan, P. D., Ritter, P. L., Dornbusch, S. M., Gross, R. T. & Carlsmith, J. M. (1985) The effects of pubertal timing on body image, school behavior and deviance. Journal of Youth & Adolescence 14(3), 227235.Google Scholar
Fan, X., Miller, B. C., Park, K., Winward, B. W., Christensen, M. & Grotevant, H. D. (2006) An exploratory study about inaccuracy and invalidity in adolescent self-report surveys. Field Methods 18, 223244.Google Scholar
Farage, M. A., Neill, S. & MacLea, A. B. (2009) Physiological changes associated with the menstrual cycle: a review. Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey 64(1), 5872.Google Scholar
Faratian, B., Gaspar, A., O'Brien, P. M. S., Johnson, I. R., Filshie, G. M. & Prescott, R. (1984) Premenstrual syndrome: weight, abdominal swelling, and perceived body image. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 150, 200204.Google Scholar
Graber, J. A., Brooks-Gunn, J. & Warren, M. P. (2006) Pubertal effects on adjustment in girls: moving from demonstrating effects to identifying pathways. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 35, 391401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grogan, S. (2008) Body Image: Understanding Body Dissatisfaction in Men, Women, and Children, 2nd edn. Routledge, New York.Google Scholar
Hall, J. E. (2014) Neuroendocrine control of the menstrual cycle. In Strauss III, J. F. & Barbieri, R. (eds) Yen and Jaffe’s Reproductive Endocrinology and Clinical Management, 7th edn. Elsevier Saunders, pp. 141157.Google Scholar
Helverson, N. (2013) The relation between self-compassion, body image, and mood: how do women internalize weight-related feedback? PCOM Psychology Dissertations Paper 272.Google Scholar
Higgins, E. T. (1987) Self-discrepancy: a theory relating self and affect. Psychological Review 94(3), 319340.Google Scholar
Hillard, P. J. A. (2008) Menstruation in adolescents: what's normal, what's not. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1135, 2935.Google Scholar
Holsen, I., Kraft, P. & Roysamb, E. (2001) The relationship between body image and depressed mood in adolescence: a 5-year longitudinal panel study. Journal of Health Psychology 6, 613627.Google Scholar
Hrabosky, J. I., Cash, T. F., Veale, D., Neziroglu, F., Soll, E. A., Garner, D. M. et al. (2009) Multidimensional body image comparisons among patients with eating disorders, body dysmorphic disorder, and clinical controls: a multisite study. Body Image 6, 155163.Google Scholar
Jappe, L. M. & Gardner, R. M. (2009) Body-image perception and dissatisfaction throughout phases of the female menstrual cycle. Perceptual and Motor Skills 108, 7480.Google Scholar
Jones, J. M., Bennett, S., Olmsted, M. P., Lawson, M. L. & Rodin, G. (2001) Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in teenaged girls: a school-based study. Canadian Medical Association Journal 165, 547552.Google Scholar
Kaczmarek, M. (2001) Longitudinal study of adolescent growth and biological maturation. Acta Medica Auxologica 33(3), 516.Google Scholar
Kaczmarek, M. (2012) Growth spurt in height and menarcheal onset in urban girls. In Hermanussen, M., Lieberman, L. S., Janewa, V. S., Scheffler, C., Ghosh, A. A. et al. Diversity in Auxology: Between Theory and Practice. Anthropologisher Anzeiger 69(2), 160.Google Scholar
Kaczmarek, M. & Durda, M. (2011) Variation in the body image perceptions of adolescent females and males and underlying social and cultural settings. In Kaczmarek, M. (ed.) Health and Well-Being in Adolescence. Part One: Physical Health and Subjective Well-Being. Bogucki Wydawnictwo Naukowe, Poznań, pp. 225243.Google Scholar
Kaplovitz, P. B. & Oberfield, S. E. (1999) Reexamination of the age limit for defining when puberty is precocious in girls in the United States: implications for evaluation and treatment. Paediatrics 104(4), 936941.Google Scholar
Kikuchi, H., Nakatani, Y., Seki, Y., Yu, X., Sekiyama, T., Sato-Suzuki, I. & Arita, H. (2010) Decreased blood serotonin in the premenstrual phase negative mood in healthy women. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology 31(2), 8389.Google Scholar
Knussmann, R. (1988/1992) Anthropologie, Handbuch der vergleichenden Biologie des Menschen, Band 1. Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, pp. 232285.Google Scholar
Kostanski, M. & Gullone, E. (1998) Adolescent body image dissatisfaction. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 39(32), 255262.Google Scholar
Latzer, Y., Tzischinsky, O. & Asaiza, F. (2007) Disordered eating related behaviors among Arab schoolgirls in Israel: an epidemiological study. International Journal of Eating Disorders 40, 263270.Google Scholar
Lien, L., Dalgard, F., Heyerdahl, S., Thoresen, M. & Bjertness, E. (2006) The relationship between age of menarche and mental distress in Norwegian adolescent girls and girls from different immigrant groups in Norway: results from an urban city cross-sectional survey. Social Science & Medicine 63, 285295.Google Scholar
McCabe, M. P. & Ricciardelli, L. A. (2004) A longitudinal study of pubertal timing and extreme body change behaviors among adolescent boys and girls. Adolescence 39, 145166.Google Scholar
McPherson, M. E. & Korfine, L. (2004) Menstruation across time: menarche, menstrual attitudes, experiences, and behaviors. Women’s Health Issues 14, 193200.Google Scholar
Mann, C. J. (2003) Observational research methods. Research design II: cohort, cross sectional, and case-control studies. Emergency Medicine Journal 20, 5460.Google Scholar
Mäkinen, M., Puukko-Viertomies, L-R., Lindberg, N., Siimes, M. A. & Aalberg, V. (2012) Body dissatisfaction and body mass in girls and boys transitioning from early to mid-adolescence: additional role of self-esteem and eating habits. BMC Psychiatry 12, 3543.Google Scholar
Menzel, J. E., Schaefer, L. M., Burke, N. L., Mayhew, L. L., Brannicki, M. T. & Thompson, J. K. (2010) Appearance-related teasing, body dissatisfaction, and disorded eating: a meta-analysis. Body Image 7(4), 261270.Google Scholar
Michael, S. L., Wentzel, K., Elliott, M. N., Dittus, P. J., Kanouse, D. E., Wallander, J. L. et al. (2014) Parental and peer factors associated with body image discrepancy among fifth-grade boys and girls. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 43(1), 1529.Google Scholar
Mirza, N. M., Davis, D. & Yanovski, J. A. (2005) Body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, and overweight among inner-city Hispanic children and adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health 36(3), 267275.Google Scholar
Mousa, T. Y., Mashal, R. H., Al-Domi, H. A. & Jibril, M. A. (2010) Body image dissatisfaction among adolescent schoolgirls in Jordan. Body Image 7, 4650.Google Scholar
Muris, P., Meesters, C., van de Blom, W. & Mayer, B. (2005) Biological, psychological and sociocultural correlates of body change strategies and eating problems in adolescent boys and girls. Eating Behaviors 6, 1120.Google Scholar
Nowakowski, S., Haynes, P. & Parry, B. L. (2010) Premenstrual dysphoric disorder. In Fink, G. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Stress. Elsevier Inc., pp. 173179.Google Scholar
O’Dea, J. & Abraham, S. (1999) Onset of disordered eating attitudes and behaviours in early adolescence: interplay of pubertal status, gender, weight, and age. Adolescence 34(136), 671679.Google Scholar
Ojala, K., Vereecken, C., Välimaa, R., Currie, C., Villberg, J., Tynjälä, J. & Kannas, L. (2007) Attempts to lose weight among overweight and non-overweight adolescents: a cross-national survey. International Journal of Behavioral and Nutritional Physical Activity 4, 5060.Google Scholar
Paxton, S. J., Eisenberg, M. E. & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2006a) Prospective predictors of body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls and boys: a five-year longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology 42(5), 888899.Google Scholar
Paxton, S. J., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Hannan, P. J. & Eisenberg, M. E. (2006b) Body dissatisfaction prospectively predicts depressive mood and low self-esteem in adolescent girls and boys. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 35, 539549.Google Scholar
Pelegrini, A., da Silva Coqueiro, R., Beck, C. C., Debiasi Ghedin, K., da Silva Lopes, A. & Petroski, E. L. (2014) Dissatisfaction with body image among adolescent students: association with socio-demographic factors and nutritional status. Ciêncassaúdecoletiva 19(4), 12011208.Google Scholar
Petroski, E. L., Velho, N. M. & De Bem, M. F. L. (1999) Menarche age and satisfaction with body weight. Revue Brasiliera Cineantropometrica Desempenho Humana 1(1), 3036.Google Scholar
Presnell, K., Bearman, S. & Stice, E. (2004) Risk factors for body dissatisfaction in adolescent boys and girls: a prospective study. International Journal of Eating Disorders 36, 389401.Google Scholar
Racine, S. E., Culbert, K. M., Keel, P. K., Sisk, C. L., Burt, S. A. & Klump, K. L. (2012) Differential associations between ovarian hormones and disordered eating symptoms across the menstrual cycle in women. International Journal of Eating Disorders 45, 333344.Google Scholar
Regional Data Bank of the Central Statistical Office (2008) URL: www.stat.gov.pl.Google Scholar
Romans, S. E., Kreindler, D., Asllani, E., Einstein, G., Laredo, S., Levitt, A. et al. (2012) Mood and the menstrual cycle. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 82(1), 5360.Google Scholar
Rosenfield, R. L., Lipton, R. B. & Drum, M. L. (2009) Thelarche, pubarche, and menarche attainment in children with normal and elevated body mass index. Pediatrics 123(1), 8488.Google Scholar
Schroeder, B., Hillary, P. J. A., Omar, H. A. & Swedler, J. (2002) Roundtable discussion. Challenges in pubertal development. Journal of Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology 15, 245250.Google Scholar
Sembulingan, K. & Sembulingan, P. (2014) Essentials of Medical Physiology, 6th edn. Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd., pp. 482492.Google Scholar
Siegel, J. M., Yancey, A. K., Aneshensel, C. S. & Schuler, R. (1999) Body image, perceived pubertal timing, and adolescent mental health. Journal of Adolescent Health 25, 155165.Google Scholar
Smolak, L. (2009) Risk factors in the development of body image, eating problems, and obesity. In Smolak, L. & Thompson, J. K. (eds) Body Image, Eating Disorders, and Obesity in Youth, 2nd edn. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC. pp. 135155.Google Scholar
Soh, N. L., Touyz, S. W. & Surgenor, L. J. (2006) Eating and body image disturbances across cultures: a review. European Eating Disorders Review 14, 5465.Google Scholar
Staničić, A. & Jokić-Bergić, N. (2010) Psychophysical characteristics of the premenstrual period. Collegium Anthropologicum 34(4), 14211425.Google Scholar
Stice, E. & Bearman, S. K. (2001) Body image and eating disturbances prospectively predict increases in depressive symptoms in adolescent girls: a growth curve analysis. Developmental Psychology 37, 597607.Google Scholar
Stice, E., Hayward, C., Cameron, R. P., Killen, J. D. & Taylor, C. B. (2000) Body-image and eating disturbances predict onset of depression among female adolescents. A longitudinal study. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 109(3), 438444.Google Scholar
Stice, E. & Whitenton, K. (2002) Risk factors for body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls: a longitudinal investigation. Developmental Psychology 38(5), 669678.Google Scholar
Stunkard, A. J., Sorenson, T. & Schulsinger, F. (1983) Use of the Danish Adoption Register for the study of obesity and thinness. In Kety, S. S., Rowland, L. P., Sidman, R. L. & Matthysse, S. W. (eds) Genetics of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders. Raven Press, New York, pp. 115120.Google Scholar
Talen, M. R. & Mann, M. M. (2009) Obesity and mental health. Primary Care 36(2), 287305.Google Scholar
Tang, C. S-K., Yeung, D. Y-L. & Lee, A. M. (2003) Psychosocial correlates of emotional responses to menarche among Chinese adolescent girls. Journal of Adolescent Health 33, 193201.Google Scholar
Tanner, J. M. (1962) Growth and Adolescence, 2nd edn. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.Google Scholar
Teixeira, A. L. S., Fernandes, J. V., Maques, F. A. D., Lacio, M. L. & Dias, M. R. (2012) Influence of different phases of menstrual cycle on flexibility of young women. Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte 18, 361364.Google Scholar
Thompson, J. K. & Altabe, M. N. (1991) Psychometric qualities of the Figure Rating Scale. International Journal of Eating Disorders 10, 615619.Google Scholar
Thompson, J. K., Heinberg, L. J., Altabe, M. & Tantleff-Dunn, S. (1999) Exacting Beauty: Theory, Assessment, and Treatment of Body Image Disturbance. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Thompson, J. K. & Smolak, L. (2001) Body Image, Eating Disorders, and Obesity in Youth: Assessment, Prevention, and Treatment. American Psychological Association, Washington DC.Google Scholar
Toffoletto, S., Lanzenberger, R., Gingnell, M., Sundstörm-Poromaa, I. & Comasco, E. (2014) Emotional and cognitive functional imaging of estrogen and progesterone effects in the female human brain: a systematic review. Psychoneuroendocrinology 50(1), 2852.Google Scholar
van den Berg, P. A., Mond, J., Eisenberg, M., Ackard, D. & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2010) The link between body dissatisfaction and self-esteem in adolescents: similarities across gender, age, weight status, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Journal of Adolescent Health 47(3), 290296.Google Scholar
Williams, J. M. & Currie, C. (2000) Self-esteem and physical development in early adolescence: pubertal timing and body image. Journal of Early Adolescence 20(2), 129149.Google Scholar
WHO Task Force on Adolescent Reproductive Health (1986) World Health Organization multicenter study on menstrual and ovulatory patterns in adolescent girls: II. Longitudinal study on menstrual patterns in the early post-menarcheal period, duration of bleeding episodes and menstrual cycles. Journal of Adolescent Health Care 7, 236244.Google Scholar
World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki (2001) Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. Bulletin of the World Health Organisation 79(4), 373374.Google Scholar