Psychopathological Symptoms and Well-Being in Overweight and Underweight Adolescents: A Network Analysis

Nutrients

Karin Waldherr¹  Stefanie Truttmann²  Julia Philipp²  Gudrun Wagner²  Andreas Karwautz²  Michael Zeiler² 

[1] Department for Research and Development, Ferdinand Porsche FernFH-Distance Learning University of Applied Sciences, 2700 Wiener Neustadt, Austria;Eating Disorder Unit, Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria;

关键词: overweight;    obesity;    underweight;    adolescents;    mental health;    psychopathology;   

DOI  :  10.3390/nu13114096

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Overweight and underweight adolescents have an increased risk of psychological problems and reduced quality of life. We used a network analysis approach on a variety of psychopathology and well-being variables to identify central factors in these populations. The network analysis was conducted on data of 344 overweight adolescents (>90th BMI-percentile) and 423 underweight adolescents (<10th BMI-percentile) drawn from a large community sample (10–19 years) including behavioral and emotional problems (Youth Self-Report), eating disorder risk (SCOFF) and well-being variables (KIDSCREEN). Additionally, psychopathology and well-being scores of overweight and underweight individuals were compared with 1.560 normal weight adolescents. Compared to their normal weight peers, overweight adolescents showed elevated psychopathology and eating disorder risk as well as reduced well-being. Underweight adolescents reported increased levels of internalizing problems but no increased eating disorder risk or reduced well-being. The network analysis revealed that anxious/depressed mood and attention problems were the most central and interconnected nodes for both overweight and underweight subsamples. Among underweight individuals, social problems and socially withdrawn behavior additionally functioned as a bridge between other nodes in the network. The results support psychological interventions focusing on improving mood, coping with negative emotions and tackling inner tension.

【 授权许可】

Unknown