Body dissatisfaction and body mass in girls and boys transitioning from early to mid-adolescence: additional role of self-esteem and eating habits

BMC Psychiatry

Research Article

Martti A Siimes¹  Veikko Aalberg¹  Mauno Mäkinen²  Leena-Riitta Puukko-Viertomies²  Nina Lindberg² 

[1] Department of Gynecology and Pediatrics, Helsinki University Central Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland;Department of Psychiatry, Division of Adolescent Psychiatry, Helsinki University Central Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland;

关键词: Eating Habit;    Body Dissatisfaction;    School Nurse;    Excess Body Weight;    Body Satisfaction;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-244X-12-35

 received in 2011-08-19, accepted in 2012-04-27,  发布年份 2012

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundIn the transition from early to mid-adolescence, gender differences in pubertal development become significant. Body dissatisfaction is often associated with body mass, low self-esteem and abnormal eating habits. The majority of studies investigating body dissatisfaction and its associations have been conducted on female populations. However, some evidence suggests that males also suffer from these problems and that gender differences might already be observed in adolescence.AimsTo examine body dissatisfaction and its relationship with body mass, as well as self-esteem and eating habits, in girls and boys in transition from early to mid-adolescence.MethodsSchool nurses recorded the heights and weights of 659 girls and 711 boys with a mean age of 14.5 years. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Body Dissatisfaction subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory were used as self-appraisal scales. Eating data were self-reported.ResultsThe girls were less satisfied with their bodies than boys were with theirs (mean score (SD): 30.6 (SD 12.2) vs. 18.9 (SD 9.5); p < 0.001). The girls expressed most satisfaction with their bodies when they were underweight, more dissatisfaction when they were of normal weight and most dissatisfaction when they had excess body weight. The boys also expressed most satisfaction when they were underweight and most dissatisfaction when they had excess body weight. The boys reported higher levels of self-esteem than did the girls (mean (SD): 31.3 (4.8) vs. 28.0 (5.9); p < 0.001). The adolescents self-reporting abnormal eating habits were less satisfied with their bodies than those describing normal eating habits (mean (SD): 33.0 (12.9) vs. 21.2 (10.2); p < 0.001).ConclusionsBody mass, self-esteem and eating habits revealed a significant relationship with body dissatisfaction in the transitional phase from early to mid-adolescence in girls and boys, but significant gender differences were also found.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Mäkinen et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd 2012