The Causal Relationship of Culture Oriented Tendency to Control Weight Based on Self Concept (Ideal and Real) among Overweight Girls Mediated by Alexithymia

Subject Areas : Psychology

Akbar Atadokht ¹ (Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran)
Seyed Mohsen Nemati ² (PhD student in Psychology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran)
Peyman Asef ³ (Master Student in clinical psychology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran)
Nasim Abdoli ⁴ (M.A. in Family Counseling , Department of Counseling , Faculty of Social Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran)

Received: 2023-11-29 Accepted : 2024-03-12 Published : 2024-03-20

Keywords: Culture oriented tendency to control weight, Self-concept, Alexithymia,

Abstract :

The research was purposed to study causal relationship of culture oriented tendency to control weight based on self-concept (ideal and real) among overweight girls mediated by alexithymia. The statistical population consisted of all overweight girls referred to nutritional clinics in Ardabil. The sample encompassed 250 subjects whom were selected via convenient sampling procedure. The research method was descriptive of correlational one. To collect data Rogers’ Self-Concept Scale (1938), Toronto Bagby et al.’s Alexithymia Scale (1994) and Dietary Adherence Scale (1994) were implemented. The data was analyzed by applying Pearson's correlation coefficient and path analysis, using SPSS-26 and AMOS-23 software. The results revealed that there was a direct positive and significant relationship between ideal self-concept and tendency to control weight, while there is a negative and significant relationship between real self-concept and tendency to control weight. The results of indirect correlation coefficient also suggested that alexithymia, as a mediating variable between the real self-concept and tendency to control weight, could negatively and significantly predict the tendency to control weight and positively and significantly predict the tendency to control weight in the relation between ideal self-concept and tendency to control weight. The results indicated an optimal goodness of fit of the model. Finally alexithymia as a mediating variable in the relationship between self-concept and the tendency to control weight can play an important role in controlling the weight of overweight girls.

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