The model indicated significant associations
between body appreciation, the romantic attachment dimensions, and the sexual functioning domains.
Also, a study showed both men and women had
higher body appreciation, higher self esteem and lower anxiety right after getting new tattoos.
Dutch female university students (N = 399) completed an online survey that included self - report items
about body appreciation, sexual functioning, and romantic attachment.
Women who experience poor sexual functioning may develop
less body appreciation and more attachment - related concerns towards their partners (e.g., fear of rejection or discomfort with depending on their partners).
The questionnaires
measured body appreciation, attachment anxiety and avoidance in romantic relationships, and sexual functioning.
BAS =
Body Appreciation Scale; FSFI = Female Sexual Function Index; ECR - RS = Experiences in Close Relationships - Relationship Structures Questionnaire with RAAN = Romantic Attachment Anxiety and RAAV = Romantic Attachment Avoidance
In the second confirmatory factor model, all items of the BAS had a factor loading on the single latent
variable body appreciation.
Furthermore, our results did not fully confirm the findings of Satinsky et al. (2012), who found that
body appreciation positively predicted the arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction dimensions of sexual functioning.
BAS Body Appreciation Scale, ECR - RS Experiences in Close Relationships - Relationship Structures Questionnaire with AANP Attachment Anxiety romantic Partner, AAVP Attachment Avoidance romantic Partner, FSFI Female Sexual Function Index
The structural model linking anxious and avoidant romantic attachment
with body appreciation and the sexual functioning domains and its parameter estimation results, with * p <.05
Low levels of attachment anxiety were favorable for experiencing
more body appreciation and, in turn, more sexual desire and subjective sexual arousal.
The latent variables desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and the absence of pain were regressed on both attachment variables and
on body appreciation.
The associations
between body appreciation, sexual functioning and romantic attachment underline that specific (elements in) treatment programs can be helpful in building on a positive cycle, in which positive body image, a satisfying sex life, and a secure bond with the partner can reinforce each other.
It might have more to do with body image... or
body appreciation, as the mamas at Crafted Sisterhood put it --
One review demonstrated that self - compassion increases the following favorable traits: happiness, optimism, life - satisfaction,
body appreciation, perceived competence, motivation, and social connectedness.
Behaviorally,
body appreciation is positively linked to intuitive eating (i.e., eating according to physiological hunger and satiety cues, women's sexual functioning, and physical activity.
Take
this body appreciation quiz and find out where you stand.
Body appreciation is associated with increased self - esteem, optimism, proactive coping, positive affect, life satisfaction, and self - compassion.
The Body Appreciation Scale - 2: Item Refinement and psychometric evaluation.
We tested a model specifying the relations between romantic attachment avoidance and anxiety,
body appreciation, and sexual functioning in young adult females and found a good fit, demonstrating the importance of romantic attachment for both constructs.
The model included nine hypothesized latent variables: attachment avoidance, attachment anxiety,
body appreciation, desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and the absence of pain.
First, results revealed that
body appreciation was associated with attachment related anxiety in relation to a romantic partner, with lower levels of attachment anxiety relating to greater levels of body appreciation.
This is in line with findings from another study in which general adult attachment was linked to
body appreciation (Iannantuono & Tylka, 2012).
Body appreciation predicted higher sexual desire and arousal, but none of the other domains of sexual functioning.
Body appreciation was regressed on attachment anxiety only.