Enhancing body image satisfaction and well-being among early adolescents: Feasibility and preliminary outcomes of the mind. body. voice. program

Abstract

Although most research has emphasized high-school and college-aged women, body dissatisfaction and eating disorder behavior are also a concern for middle-school girls. We partnered with Girls Inc., a community-based organization to explore feasibility and preliminary outcomes of the mind. body. voice. (m.b.v.) program with a middle-school-aged cohort. The program was collaboratively designed with youth, focusing on body image satisfaction, disordered eating risk factors, and mental health and well-being. The work occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a unique opportunity to assess the promise of the program under difficult extenuating circumstances. In an open-trial design, we assessed change from pre- to post-program administered with two cohorts, one delivered remotely in 2020 (n = 17) and one in-person in 2021 (n = 13). Findings indicated that participation in the m.b.v. program was associated among both cohorts with significant decreases in negative body judgment and adherence to cultural appearance biases, and significant increases in body awareness, agency, and positive self-regard, as well as significant reductions in negative affect. Results support the feasibility and promise of both remote and in-person administration of the program targeting young adolescents, and in partnership with a well-established community-based organization.