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These results suggest that more pessimistic people, who compare themselves to others and
place a high value on appearance, experience a change in aggression. Optimism is the best
predictor and in a multiple regression model both optimism and social comparison are
statistically significant predictors of absolute changes in aggression ( = 0.266, F(2, 316) =
12.042, MSE = 16.801, p < 0.001).
Positive Affect
None of the variables are significantly correlated with absolute changes in Positive Affect.
Negative Affect
Changes from baseline to follow-up in negative affect were found to be negatively associated
with age (r = -0.169, n = 334, p = 0.002), social acceptance (r = -0.213, n = 336, p < 0.001),
optimism (r = -0.257, n = 336, p < 0.001), satisfaction with social support (r = -0.123, n = 335, p
= 0.025, two-sided) and positively associated with appearance discrepancy (r = 0.227, n = 336,
p < 0.001, two-sided), valence (r = 0.212, n = 340, p < 0.001), social comparison (r = 0.163, n =
338, p = 0.003), salience (r = 0.182, n = 337, p = 0.001, two-sided) and FNE (r = 0.261, n = 340,
p < 0.001).
These results suggest that younger, pessimistic people, who do not feel socially accepted, who
are less satisfied with their social support and self-report a large appearance discrepancy from
the norm, negatively evaluate their own appearance, place a high value on appearance and fear
negative evaluations from others are more likely to experience change in negative affect.
Optimism and appearance discrepancy are the best two predictors and both are jointly
predictive of absolute change in negative affect in a multiple regression ( = 0.098, F(2, 313)
= 16.935, MSE = 20.779, p < 0.001).
DISCUSSION
The findings of this study provide further, strong support for the framework operationalised by
the research programme. Indeed, the regression model accounted for a very impressive 70.7%
of variation in the DAS24 at 9 month follow up – a figure that is greater than the (already very
sizeable) variance accounted for at baseline. Similarly, the regression model predicted greater
variance in the measures of HADS anxiety, HADS depression, and positive and negative affect
at 9 month follow up than at baseline. Furthermore, the majority of the components that
predicted appearance-related anxiety at baseline continued to do so at follow-up and there was
also a high degree of consistency in the predictors of HADS anxiety and depression,
aggression, positive affect and negative affect at both baseline and follow-up.
Overall, the results of this study indicate a picture of stability rather than change over the 9
month follow-up period: mean scores on most outcome measures changed relatively little over
time (although there was a small, significant increase in mean DAS scores between baseline
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