A systematic review of body image and related psychological concepts: does ethnicity matter?

Body image, which is one of the current issues that is frequently studied in the literature, is defined as the attitudes of the person towards his/her own body. This systematic review aimed to review studies examining the relationship between ethnicity and body image. A total of 795 studies were found in the first literature search conducted through EBSCO, PubMed, Wiley Online Library, PsycARTICLES and DergiPark. While the inclusion criteria were full-text studies written in English or Turkish between 2010-2021, studies that were not in article format, were not related to the research focus, used a qualitative method and did not attach importance to intercultural ethnic differences were not included in the compilation. The 12 studies obtained as a result of the screening were reported according to the PRISMA criteria. Looking at the results, it was seen that individuals living in collectivist societies according to 6 studies and those living in individual societies according to 3 studies were more likely to have body dissatisfaction. Besides these studies, 1 study compared only collectivist societies. In addition, while no final conclusion could be reached regarding the differences for a particular culture in 1 study examined, no ethnic differences were found in the body image of individuals in 1 study. When we look at the findings of the compiled studies in general, it has been seen that individuals living in collectivist societies have higher body dissatisfaction. However, according to the findings, women experience body dissatisfaction more than men. However, men in Asian cultures have a weaker body image compared to Western cultures. In addition, emerging ethnic differences regarding body image are influenced by peer relationships.