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Behavioral Sciences
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Body Image and Disordered Eating: Psychosocial, Cultural, Cognitive and Clinical...
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Body Image and Disordered Eating: Psychosocial, Cultural, Cognitive and Clinical Perspectives

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Psychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 12 June 2026 | Viewed by 833

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Panagiota Tragantzopoulou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Social Sciences, University of Westminster, London W1B 2HW, UK
Interests: body image; eating disorders; chronic illness; psychopathology; therapeutic; integration; social media; carer support
Dr. Vaitsa Giannouli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: neuropsychology; cognitive psychology; geropsychology; quantitative and qualitative methodologies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Body image concerns are a central factor in the development and persistence of eating disorders, with body image disturbance being one of the most pervasive symptoms across diagnostic categories. This Special Issue invites empirical and theoretical contributions examining the complex interplay between body image and disordered eating across diverse populations and cultural contexts.

Submissions may address clinically recognized eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, as well as emerging patterns of disordered eating not yet formally classified in diagnostic manuals, including orthorexia nervosa. Research exploring cognitive, sociocultural, and gender-based influences on body image, such as social media exposure, beauty standards, and stigma, will be especially relevant.

Manuscripts focusing on the impact of body acceptance movements, including body positivity and body neutrality, are encouraged, particularly in relation to shifting societal discourse and individual psychological outcomes. Suitable methodologies include longitudinal, experimental, cross-cultural, and qualitative approaches, as well as systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

This Special Issue aims to advance our understanding of how body image and eating behaviors intersect with identity, culture, and mental health and to identify meaningful pathways for prevention, intervention, and public health strategies.

Dr. Panagiota Tragantzopoulou
Dr. Vaitsa Giannouli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • body image
  • body image disturbance
  • eating disorders
  • disordered eating
  • orthorexia nervosa
  • body positivity
  • sociocultural influences
  • media and body ideals
  • emerging eating behaviors
  • gender and body perception

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 3417 KB  
Article
Sustainability of Positive Body Image Changes One Year After Exercise Interventions in Young Women: A Quasi-Experimental Study
by Rasa Jankauskiene, Vaiva Balciuniene, Renata Rutkauskaite and Migle Baceviciene
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(1), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16010083 - 7 Jan 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 535
Abstract
Although some exercise interventions have demonstrated short-term benefits for women’s positive body image, evidence regarding their longer-term effects—particularly under real-world conditions—remains limited. Understanding the sustainability of post-intervention outcomes is important for assessing the practical relevance of exercise programmes and their potential to improve [...] Read more.
Although some exercise interventions have demonstrated short-term benefits for women’s positive body image, evidence regarding their longer-term effects—particularly under real-world conditions—remains limited. Understanding the sustainability of post-intervention outcomes is important for assessing the practical relevance of exercise programmes and their potential to improve positive body image. The aim of this study was to examine the sustainability of post-intervention outcomes related to positive body image one year after participation in non-randomised 8-week Nirvana Fitness (NF) and Functional Training (FT) interventions among young women under real-world conditions. Young women (mean age 22.79 ± 6.14) were self-selected into either the NF group (n = 16) or the FT (n = 15) group and participated in an eight-week exercise intervention. A control group (n = 17) of women did not participate in the intervention. Participants completed online questionnaires assessing body appreciation, body surveillance, functionality appreciation, body–mind connection, intrinsic exercise motivation, physical activity at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 12 months later. Changes in outcomes over time were analysed using linear mixed-effects models with fixed effects for group, time, and their interaction, random intercepts for participants, and adjustment for age and body mass index. Analysis revealed significant group × time interactions for body appreciation, functionality appreciation, body–mind connection, and intrinsic exercise regulation, indicating differential changes over time between interventions and control groups. Body surveillance showed a significant effect of time only, whereas leisure-time exercise differed between groups but did not change over time. Overall, intervention groups demonstrated more favourable change patterns across positive body image-related outcomes compared with the control group. Conclusion: Participation in intervention programmes was associated with sustained improvements in positive body image and exercise motivation, but not with changes in body surveillance or leisure-time physical activity. Given the self-selected group allocation and small sample size, these findings should be considered exploratory. Larger randomised studies are needed to confirm the sustainability and generalisability of these findings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Body Image and Disordered Eating: Psychosocial, Cultural, Cognitive and Clinical Perspectives)
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