Skinny on Body Dissatisfaction: A Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Girls and Boys

• NCJ Number: 214829
• Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 35 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2006 Pages: 229-241
• Author(s): Sarah Kate Bearman; Katherine Presnell; Erin Martinez; Eric Stice
• Date Published: April 2006
• Length: 13 pages
• Grant Number(s): MH01708; MH12834
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This longitudinal study of 428 adolescent girls and boys examined whether risk factors for body dissatisfaction identified in previous research (social, psychological, and biological factors) predicted increases in body dissatisfaction and whether gender moderated the relationships.

Abstract

Although there were no significant differences between boys and girls in levels of body dissatisfaction at age 13, by age 14 girls were significantly more dissatisfied with their bodies than were boys. This difference persisted through ages 15 and 16. Girls who reported satisfaction with their body size and shape were significantly thinner than boys who were similarly satisfied with their bodies. Despite this gender-based pattern of body assessment, the findings did not show that having mental images of an ideal body predicted body dissatisfaction. Neither did body mass index (weight in relation to height) predict body dissatisfaction for this sample, regardless of gender. Deficits in social support from parents, and to a lesser extent from peers, predicted body dissatisfaction for both boys and girls. As expected, increases in self-reported restraints on eating predicted increases in body dissatisfaction. None of the risk factors that predicted body dissatisfaction were moderated by gender. This suggests that interventions that target youth at risk for developing body dissatisfaction and attendant psychiatric outcomes should focus on both boys and girls, although interventions may differ according to gender-specific factors. Participants were 247 adolescent girls and 181 adolescent boys (age range 12 to 16) from 4 public and 4 private middle schools in a large metropolitan area in the Southwest. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire, participated in a structured psychiatric interview, and had their weight and height measured at baseline and at 1-year and 2-year followups. Variables measured were the presence of a mental image of the ideal body, body mass index, social support, dieting behaviors, negative emotions, and body dissatisfaction. 5 tables and 58 references