Imagem corporal e a tipologia de valor percebido: um estudo sobre a influência sociocultural na valorização e satisfação do corpo grávido

Abstract

Body is an “object” used to interact with the world, and, therefore, not only it is placed, but also shaped by sociocultural context. Marketing literature or consumer behavior, as well as, health sciences literature and body image share interest for the social aspect of the pregnant body, on the grounds that it mobilizes a new form of consumption and elicits impacts upon both child and maternal health. As the body is something natural and social, pregnant body experiences natural changes and social pressures that influences internal assessments, which itself, impacts the consumption. For this reason, the purpose of the study was to evaluate a sociocultural model of body image and perceived value in a sample of pregnant women. In order to make the research viable, this thesis proposed to unite two approaches that gave theoretical support to understanding body experiences, perceived value and body image. Nevertheless, literature lacked of appropriated measures to quantify pregnant experiences and, to fill the gap, body dissatisfaction measurent was cross-culturally adapted (BEATON et al., 1998) and a value measure was built (NETEMEYER; BEARDEN; SHARMA, 2003). At last, these measures, oriented by the nomological context, were associated with an input variable (social pressure) and an outcome variable (behavioural intention). Pregnant women from different gestation periods participated in the research. The samples were collected in different periods, virtually or in person, by private clinics, public places and convenience samples. For cross-cultural adaptation 30 pregnant women participated in the pre-test and 187 in the pilot test. According to specialists who analyzed the instrument, the items of the scale showed semantics, idiomatic, cultural and conceptual equivalences, and showed evidence of clarity, representation and validity of content (IVC>0,8). Exploratory factor analyses demonstrated that dissatisfaction with body parts and complexion dissatisfaction among brazilian pregnant women take valid (⁁>0,5) and reliable (α =0,89 e α=0,80) dimensions. In order to build the scale, both individual and group interviews were carried out with 28 pregnant women, as well as 27 answers collected in the pre-test. Others 118 pregnant women participated in the pilot test and 319 in the final sample to confirm the factor structure and tests of the nomological network. As reported by the results, the items of the value of excellence, efficiency, diversion, esthetic and social have shown validity of content (IVC>0,8). In the pilot test, the items demonstrated evidences of reliability (α =0,801; α =0,932; α =0,887; α =0,871 and α =0,877), convergent validity (⁁ close to 0,5). Ultimately, the remaining items presented a first order model with an adequate ajustment (χ2 (392) = 811,957, p<0.001, χ2 /gl = 2,071 CFI = 0,918; TLI = 0,908; RMSEA = 0,058; IC90%: 0,052, 0,064, p=0,001; SRMR = 0,0653), reliable (CR entre 0,775 e 0,923) convergent validity (loads of significance and >0,5; VME>0,4) and discriminant (correlations lower than the VMEs). The second order model showed an adequate adjustment (χ2 (1566) = 2641,640, p<0.001, χ2 /gl = 1,687 CFI = 0,916; TLI = 0,912; RMSEA = 0,046; IC90%: 0,043, 0,050; SRMR = 0,0714), with evidences of reliability (CR within 0,642 a 0,869), and discriminant (correlations lower than the VMEs), but with concerns around the convergent validity. Finally, the structural model testified evidences to the nomological validity, supporting the research hypothesis, confirming that social influence impacts the corporal value (H1), which itself impacts the corporal dissatisfaction (H2) and, at last, the corporal dissatisfaction influences the behavioural intention in relation to esthetics surgery (H3). In light of this, it is affirmative that social pressure has a negative effect on the corporal value, which has a negative impact on the corporal dissatisfaction and this dissatisfaction has a positive effect on the intention of having plastic surgery.