College tends to put a lot of stress on a person. This can affect the student's attitudes toward life and work. Significant life changes and stress from the college environment can affect each student in a different way. Men and women have different ways in coping with stress. This study looks at the way stress effects the body image of men and women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, using a random sample of Salem State College students. Sixteen males and twenty females completed the study. Participants filled out questionnaires that measured stress, anxiety, and body image in various social situations relevant to college students. The questionnaire was a combined evaluation of the Stressful Situations Questionnaire (SSQ) and the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), measuring respectfully. This study used the Two-Way Analysis test at the .05 significance level. The ANOVA identified a significant interaction effect between stress and gender. Stress, as a variable by itself, was also found to have an effect on body image. Though it did not quite reach a statistical significant level, it remained an important factor. Females with a high level of stress had a low MBSRQ score. Males had a lower mean score on the body image test with a low stress level and a higher mean score with a high stress level, when compared to females. Stress and gender, together, was found to have a strong effect on body image.
Associations between stress and body image have been examined for years. Through research, it is apparent that high levels of stress affect the self-esteem and body appearance of young adults. A study done on body image and eating disorders found that women entering college with higher levels of figure dissatisfaction were likely to show worsening eating patterns during the study period of three years (Cooley & Toray, 2001). In this study, Cooley and Toray concluded that self-esteem, figure dissatisfaction, and body image were directly linked, and were responsible for playing a role in developing eating and dieting problems.
