Abstract
During adolescence there is a relatively high prevalence of weight problems and eating disorders. Furthermore, body image plays an important role in weight control and eating behaviors as well as in mental health. This study analyses the influence of body mass index, perception of being overweight, and body image satisfaction (BIS) on internalizing symptoms related to mental health in adolescents. In addition, sex, age, socioeconomic status (SES), dieting, and physical activity are taken into consideration. This research is based on the international study Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC). The sample consists of 4531 Spanish adolescents from 13 to 18 years old. Participants were selected through random multi-stage sampling stratified by conglomerates. Two instruments were employed: the HBSC questionnaire and the Youth Self-Report (Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment, ASEBA). Results demonstrated that BIS –the emotional component related to body image– was the main predictor of adolescent internalizing symptoms. In addition, results show double-inequalities according to the interaction effects of sex, age, and SES. Likewise, interesting results are shown regarding how dieting behaviors to lose or gain weight/volume and physical activity relate to body image perception and satisfaction, as well as with internalizing symptoms. This study highlights important body image aspects relevant to intervention and prevention of internalized mental health problems in adolescence.
Highlights
Adolescence is a period characterized by physiological, emotional, cognitive, and social changes that lead to a greater concern for physical appearance
This study shows that despite girls having a lower index of being overweight or obese, they are less satisfied with their body image and diet more frequently to lose weight, a behavior that increases with age
This study proposes to analyze in detail the profile of these adolescents, based on the physiological, cognitive, or emotional components, and according to how the configuration of these variables relates with the behavioral component, measured through dieting and the frequency of physical activity
Summary
Adolescence is a period characterized by physiological, emotional, cognitive, and social changes that lead to a greater concern for physical appearance. The physical changes that accompany the onset of puberty demand a constant restructuring of the adolescent’s perception of their body, provoking an increased preoccupation for this image that in many cases leads to a decrease in self-esteem. Body image refers to the multifaceted psychological experience of embodiment that encompasses one’s bodyrelated self-perceptions and self-attitudes, including thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors. Body image has often been defined as the self-perception of the physical self and the feelings and thoughts that result from that perception (Cash, 2004; Grogan, 2006). Disturbance in any of these domains is referred to as body image concerns or negative body image
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