April 20, 2004

GW Study on Body Image Offers Promise for Relationship Counseling

Body image is one of several significant predictors of sexual satisfaction, according to a study investigating the role of gender identity, gender role and body image as predictors of sexual satisfaction by Shannon Peters, a researcher from GW’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development’s (GSEHD) Center for Rehabilitation Counseling Research and Education.

Using a non-clinical, single, heterosexual sample, Peters supported her theory that gender identity, gender role and body image are predictors of sexual satisfaction, with body image being the major predictor, especially among males. Peters also explored the predictive power of intimacy, religiosity and sexual activity, each of which was found to be a significant predictor of sexual satisfaction. Finally, she studied the role of popular culture on the predictors of sexual satisfaction and discovered two key shifts.

“With the proliferation of advertisements for drugs like Viagra and extreme makeover shows, the media are setting people up for failure,” said Peters. “Young women and men need help recognizing the bind that society places on them. They must be educated about society’s demands and encouraged to develop an ideal that is self-defined and self-oriented.”

According to Peters, a major implication of this study is that counselors should be aware that body image could be a significant issue in their work with clients in the area of sexual relationship problems.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu