Abstract

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AS A PREDICTOR OF BODY IMAGE AND EATING DISORDERS AMONG FEMALE DANCERS

Seema Vinayak, Aparajita Sharma* and Rohin Vinayak

ABSTRACT

Background: The industrial demand, as well as the artistic and therapeutic value of dance, has eventually made it one of the most trending and popular professions in India. So exploring the psychological and physical health of dancers becomes even more important. Objective: The present investigation aimed to study emotional intelligence as a predictor of body image and eating disorders among female dancers, along with analyzing the relationship between the three variables. Method: One hundred fifty professionally trained and actively practicing female dancers from the tricity of Chandigarh, Panchkula, and Mohali (India) participated in the study. The subjects were administered Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence test, Eating Attitudes Test, and Body-Esteem Scale. Results: Correlation and multiple regression analysis revealed that emotional intelligence was positively related to body image and negatively related to eating disorders. Eating disorders and body image came out to be negatively related. Emotional intelligence emerged as a predictor of both eating disorders and body image among female dancers. Conclusion: Emotional intelligence plays a relevant role in appearance-related issues and eating problems in female dancers.

Keywords: Body image, dancer, eating disorders, emotional intelligence, females.