Body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and nutritional status in adolescents

Abstract

In adolescence and especially in females, greater body dissatisfaction has been evidenced, which is defined as a negative evaluation of one’s own body, being a strong predictor of eating disorders and obesity. Objective: To relate body dissatisfaction with self-esteem, depression, and body mass index in adolescents. Subjects and Method: Quantitative, correlational, and cross-sectional study in a sample of 397 school adolescents (180 males and 217 females) from Concepción, Chile, aged 10 to 19 years, to whom the following instruments were applied: Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) to assess body dissatisfaction, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Beck’s Depression Inventory-II for those older than 14 years, and Birleson Depression Self-Rating Scale for those younger than 14 years. Body mass index z-score was determined. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was estimated for all variables. Results: Body dissatisfaction was reported in 54.9 % of females and 18.3 % of males. Body dissatisfaction was positively correlated with age, z-BMI, and depression (p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with self-esteem (p < 0.01). When body dissatisfaction was differentiated by sex, the same significant correlations remained, except for age. Conclusions: The results confirm the relationship between body dissatisfaction with self-esteem, depression, and BMI. The importance of promoting healthy self-esteem and body image from an early age to prevent eating disorders and obesity is emphasized.