The relationship between body image dissatisfaction and subjective well-being through the intervening roles of sense of control and social support in older adults

Most of the previous studies on body image dissatisfaction mainly focused on the populations of adolescents and middle-aged people, however little is known about the body image dissatisfaction of older adults and its correlates. This study examined the possible patterns of relationship between body image dissatisfaction, sense of control, social support (i.e., family support and friend support), and subjective well-being in older adults. A sample of 814 older adults completed measures of body image dissatisfaction, sense of control, social support, and subjective well-being. The results indicated that body image dissatisfaction is significantly associated with subjective well-being. In addition, sense of control mediated the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and subjective well-being. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that family support moderated the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and sense of control and that friend support moderated the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and subjective well-being. These results of the current study can deepen our understanding of the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and subjective well-being as well as their intermediate variables and may contribute to theories addressing well-being in older adults. The results may also have a practical value by guiding older adults to make rational use of social support and increase their sense of control to reduce the negative effect of body image dissatisfaction and improve their subjective well-being.