Investigating the Role of Gender Attitudes, Self-Esteem, and Internet Addiction in Predicting Body Image Dissatisfaction among Female High School Students in Behbahan County
Keywords:
gender attitudes, self-esteem, internet addiction, body image dissatisfactionAbstract
The present study aimed to investigate the role of gender attitudes, self-esteem, and internet addiction in predicting body image dissatisfaction among female high school students in Behbahan County. In terms of purpose, this study was applied research, and in terms of methodology, it was a descriptive-correlational study. The statistical population included all female high school students in Behbahan County. According to statistics provided by the Behbahan Department of Education, the population consisted of 2,500 students. Based on Cochran’s formula, a sample of 374 female high school students was selected through cluster sampling. Data were collected using library research methods and questionnaires. The McCabe and Ricciardelli questionnaire (2008) was used to assess gender attitudes; the Stanley Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (1967) was used to measure self-esteem; the Internet Addiction Scale (IAS) was used to assess internet addiction; and the Body Image Dissatisfaction Questionnaire developed by Thomas Cash (1990) was used to measure body image dissatisfaction. The validity and reliability of all questionnaires were confirmed. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation test and multiple regression analysis) through IBM SPSS Statistics. The findings indicated that there was a significant relationship between gender attitudes and its components in predicting body image dissatisfaction among students. Furthermore, a significant relationship was found between self-esteem and its components in predicting body image dissatisfaction among students. In addition, internet addiction and its components showed a significant relationship with the prediction of body image dissatisfaction among students. The variables of gender attitudes (β = 0.54), self-esteem (β = 0.637), and internet addiction (β = 0.788) significantly predicted body image dissatisfaction among students. Moreover, the coefficient of determination indicated that 73% of the variance in body image dissatisfaction among students was explained by the variables of gender attitudes, self-esteem, and internet addiction.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Elham Dehbashimoghadam (Author); Ali Delpisheh; Iran Davoudi (Author)
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