Dr. Melanie Zimmer-Gembeck and the Zlab
Appearance and Eating
Publications
see the list below
Body Dissatisfaction, Appearance, Appearance, Anxiety,
Body Dysmorphic Symptoms, Disordered Eating
Seeto, C. J., Uhlmann, L. R., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Donovan, C. L. (2026). Vulnerability to appearance-based social media use and preoccupation: A model of young women’s appearance values, depression, and self-esteem via uses and gratification. Body Image, 56, 102034. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2026.102034
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Seekis, V., & Duffy, A. L. (2026). Online appearance preoccupation in and beyond adolescence: A longitudinal study of social media use, anxiety, and depression as correlates of stability and change. Psychology of Popular Media, 15(1), 11-21. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000587.
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2025). The Social Media Appearance Preoccupation Scale (SMAPS). In V. L. Ramseyer Winter, T. Tylka, & A. M. Landor (Eds.). Handbook of Body Image Related Measures. Cambridge University Press
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2025). The Sexual Subjectivity Inventory for Females and Males (FSSI and MSSI). In V. L. Ramseyer Winter, T. Tylka, & A. M. Landor (Eds.). Handbook of Body Image Related Measures. Cambridge University Press
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Scott, R. A., & Hawes, T. (2024). Appearance-related teasing, rejection sensitivity, acceptance, and coping as risks and resources associated with online appearance preoccupation over one year. Computers in Human Behavior, 158, Article 108319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.108319
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Hawes, T., Scott, R. A., Campbell, T., & Webb, H. J. (2023). Adolescents’ online appearance preoccupation: A 5-year longitudinal study of the influence of peers, parents, beliefs, and disordered eating. Computers in Human Behavior, 140, 187569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107569
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Stansfield, H., Kerin, J., & Donovan, C. (2023). Measurement of intuitive and mindful eating (Chapter 6, pp. 71-81). In A. Meule (Ed.) Assessment of eating behavior. Hogrefe.
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Rudolph, J., & Gardner, A. A. (2022). Are you looking at me? A longitudinal vignette study of adolescent appearance rejection sensitivity and coping with peer evaluation. Body Image, 43, 253-263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.09.002
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Rudolph, J., & Pariz, J. (2022). A cascade of rejection and appearance preoccupation: Adolescents’ body dysmorphic symptoms and appearance rejection sensitivity over 4 years. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 40(1), 17-34. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12377
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Rudolph, J., Webb, H. J., Henderson, L., & Hawes, T. (2021). Face-to-face and cyber-victimization: A longitudinal study of offline appearance anxiety and online appearance preoccupation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 50(12), 2311–2323. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01367-y
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Webb, H. J., Kerin, J., Farrell, L. J., & Waters, A. M. (2021). Risk factors and temporal patterns of disordered eating differ in adolescent boys and girls: Testing gender-specific appearance anxiety models. Development and Psychopathology, 33(3), 856-867. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579420000188
Webb, H. J., Kerin, J., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2021). Increases in emotional eating during early adolescence and associations with appearance teasing by parents and peers, peer victimization, depression and social anxiety. Journal of Early Adolescence, 41(5), 754-777. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431620950469
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Hawes, T., & Pariz, J. (2021). A closer look at appearance and social media: Measuring activity, self-presentation, and social comparison and their associations with emotional adjustment. Psychology of Popular Media, 10(1), 74-86. https://doi.org/.1037/ppm0000277.
Gardner, A. A., Hawes, T., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Webb, H. J., Waters, A. M., & Nesdale, D. (2021). Emotion regulation and support from others: Buffering of body dysmorphic symptoms in adolescent and young adult men but not women. Journal of Adolescence, 86(January), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.11.008.
Allen, L. M., Roberts, C., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Farrell, L. J. (2021). Exploring the relationship between self-compassion and body dysmorphic symptoms in adolescents. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 25, Article 100535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocrd.2020.100535
Hawes, T., Campbell, S. M., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2020). Unique associations of social media use and online appearance preoccupation with depression, anxiety, and appearance rejection sensitivity. Body Image:, 33, 66-76. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.02.010
Uhlmann, L., Donovan, C., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2020). Beyond the thin ideal: Development and validation of the Fit Ideal Internalization Test (FIIT) for women. Psychological Assessment, 32, 140-153. doi:10.1037/pas0000773
Roberts, C., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Farrell, L. J. (2019). The Multidimensional Youth Body Dysmorphic Inventory (MY BODI): Development and preliminary validation. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 50, 927-939. doi:10.1007/s10578-019-00893-6
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., McKay, A., & Webb, H. J. (2019). The food-related parenting context: Associations with parent mindfulness and children’s temperament. , 2415-2428. Mindfulness, 10, 2415-2428. doi:10.1007/s12671-019-01219-2
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Joyce, J., Kerin, J., Webb, H. J., & Morrissey, S. (2019). Self-Determination Theory and food-related parenting: The Parent Socioemotional Context of Feeding Questionnaire. Journal of Family Psychology, 33, 476-486. doi:10.1037/fam0000524
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Duffy, A., & Stuart, J. (2019). Let's get physical: Recent research on relations of adolescent peer victimization with psychosomatic symptoms, sleep, and body weight. Invited review for Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Psychology, 24, e12162. doi:10.1111/jabr.12162
Hurst, K., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2019). Family‐based treatment with cognitive behavioural therapy for anorexia. Clinical Psychologist, 23, 61-70. doi:10.1111/cp.12152.
Kerin, J. L., Webb, H. J., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2019). Intuitive, mindful, emotional, external and regulatory eating behaviours and beliefs: An investigation of the core components. Appetite, 132, 139-146. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2018.10.011.
Roberts, C., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Lavell, C., Gregertsen, E. C., Miyamoto, T., & Farrell, L. J. (2018). The Appearance Anxiety Inventory: Factor structure and associations with appearance-based rejection sensitivity and social anxiety. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 19, 124-130.
Webb, H. J., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Scuffham, P., Rani, B., & Barber, B. (2018). Family stress predicts poorer dietary quality in children: Examining the role of the parent?child relationship. Infant and Child Development, 27, e2088. doi:10.1002/icd.2088.
Uhlmann, L. R., Donovan, C. L., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Bell, H. S., & Ramme, R. A. (2018). The fit beauty ideal: A healthy alternative to thinness or a wolf in sheep's clothing? Body Image, 25, 23-30. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.01.005
Kerin, J. L., Webb, H. J., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Mastro, S. (2018). Resisting the temptation of food: A new measure of regulating overeating and associations with emotion regulation and mindfulness. Australian Journal of Psychology, 70, 167-178. doi:10.1111/ajpy.12169.
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Webb, H. J., Farrell, L. J., & Waters, A. M. (2018). Girls' and boys' trajectories of appearance anxiety from age 10 to 15 years are associated with earlier maturation and appearance-related teasing. Development and Psychopathology, 30(1), 337-350. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579417000657.
Lavell, C. H., Webb, H. J., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J, & Farrell, L. J. (2018). A prospective study of adolescents’ body dysmorphic symptoms: Peer victimization and the direct and protective roles of emotion regulation and mindfulness. Body Image, 24, 17-25. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.11.006
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Webb, H. J. (2017). Body image and peer relationships: Unique associations of adolescents' social status and competence with peer- and self-reported appearance victimization. Journal of Adolescence, 61, 131-140. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.10.002
Densham, K., Webb, H. J., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Nesdale, D. (2017). Early adolescents' body dysmorphic symptoms as compensatory responses to appearance-based rejection sensitivity: Testing a parental socialization model. Body Image, 23, 162-170. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.09.005
Webb, H. J., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Farrell, L., Waters, A., Nesdale, D., & Downey, G. (2017) "Pretty pressure" from peers, parents, and the media: A longitudinal study of appearance-based rejection sensitivity. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 27, 718-735. doi:10.1111/jora.12310.
Webb, H. J., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. & Mastro, S. (2016). Stress exposure and generation: A conjoint longitudinal model of body dysmorphic symptoms, peer acceptance, popularity, and relational victimization. Body Image, 18, 14-18. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.04.010.
Webb, H. J., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2016). A longitudinal study of appearance-based rejection sensitivity and the peer appearance culture. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 43, 91-100 doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2016.01.004.
Mastro, S., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Webb, H., Farrell, L., & Waters, A. (2016). Young adolescents’ body dysmorphic symptoms: Social problems, self-perceptions and comorbidities. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 8, 50-55.
Webb, H. J., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Mastro, S., Farrell, L., Waters, A. W., Lavell, C. (2015). Young adolescents’ body dysmorphic symptoms: Associations with same- and cross-sex peer teasing via appearance-based rejection sensitivity. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 43, 1161-1173. doi:10.1007/s10802-014-9971-9
Hurst, K., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2015). Focus on perfectionism in female adolescent anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 48, 936-941. doi:10.1002/eat.22417.
Webb, H., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2015). Body image attitudes and body change strategies within best friend dyads and friendship groups: Implications for adolescent appearance-rejection sensitivity, Social Development, 24, 1-19. doi:10.1111/sode.1208
Pepping, C. A., O'Donovan, A., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Hanisch, M. (2015). Individual differences in attachment and eating pathology: The mediating role of mindfulness. Personality and Individual Differences, 75, 24-29.
Webb, H. J., Ferguson, S., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2015). Loneliness, inhibition, and friendlessness: Associations with adolescents' appearance-related concerns, attractiveness, and teasing about appearance. In K. T. Rowe (Ed.), Social isolation, participation and impact on mental health (pp. 51-78). New York: NOVA Science Publishers.
Lavell, C., Farrell, L., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2014). Do obsessional belief domains relate to body dysmorphic concerns in undergraduate students. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 3, 354-358. doi:10.1016/j.jocrd.2014.10.001
Webb, H., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2014). The role of friends and peers in adolescent body dissatisfaction: A review and critique of 15 years of research, Journal of Research on Adolescence, 24, 564-590. doi:10.1111/jora.1208.
Lavell, C., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Farrell, L., & Webb, H. (2014). Victimization, social anxiety, and body dysmorphic concerns: Appearance-based rejection sensitivity as a mediator. Body Image, 11, 391-395. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.06.008.
Webb, H. J., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Donovan, C. L. (2014). The appearance culture between friends and adolescent appearance-based rejection sensitivity, Journal of Adolescence, 37, 347-358.
Kopp, L., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2011). Resisting the thin ideal and access to autonomy support: Women’s global self-determination, body dissatisfaction and eating, Eating Behaviors, 2, 222-224.
Joyce, J., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2009). Parent feeding restriction and child weight: The mediating role of child disinhibited eating and the moderating role of parenting style. Appetite, 52, 726-734.