Longitudinal relationships among sociocultural pressure for body image, self-concept clarity, and emotional well-being in adolescents.

Abstract

This study examined the longitudinal relationships among sociocultural pressure for body image (SPBI), self-concept clarity (SCC), and emotional well-being (EWB) at both the between- and within-person levels. The participants were 2001 Chinese adolescents (age range 11-24, 42.9% males). Recruitment of participants occurred for 1 year across three waves (i.e., 6 months apart across three cohorts). The baseline and follow-up questionnaire surveys were utilized to assess SPBI, SCC, EWB, and background variables. Longitudinal associations between the above main variables were tested using a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) and multilevel regression analysis. The CLPM and multilevel-model analysis showed that SCC longitudinally mediated the relationships between SPBI and EWB. Besides, gender and age were considered moderators in the associations among SPBI, SCC, and EWB. SCC could be an underlying mechanism for the longitudinal relationship between SPBI and EWB among Chinese adolescents, which provides a potential intervention target for improving adolescents' well-being from a sociocultural framework.