Scott Griffiths1, Stuart B Murray2, Caroline Bentley3, Kassandra Gratwick-Sarll3, Carmel Harrison3, Jonathan M Mond4. 1. Centre for Applied Psychology, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia; Research School of Psychology, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia; Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Electronic address: scottgriffiths@gmail.com. 2. School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California. 3. Research School of Psychology, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 4. Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Campbelltown, New South Wales, Australia.
Abstract
PURPOSE: Body dissatisfaction is strongly associated with quality of life impairment among both male and female adults, and the strength of this relationship is comparable between the sexes. Whether this is the case among adolescents, however, is unclear. METHODS: Adolescent girls (n = 1,135) and boys (n = 531) aged 12-18 years were recruited from secondary schools located in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Students completed a survey that included measures of body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms, and psychosocial health- and physical health-related quality of life. RESULTS: Girls reported higher levels of dissatisfaction than boys for each of the 12 body features assessed. The strength of the adverse associations between body dissatisfaction and quality of life impairment did not, however, differ by sex, and this was the case for both physical health-related and psychosocial quality of life domains. For both girls and boys, associations between body dissatisfaction and both quality of life impairment persisted after controlling for eating disorder symptoms, body mass index, and other covariates. CONCLUSIONS: While levels of body dissatisfaction remain higher in girls than in boys, the adverse impact of body dissatisfaction on adolescents' quality of life does not appear to differ by sex. This impact entails impairment in both physical health and psychosocial quality of life domains and does not appear to be accounted for by an association between body dissatisfaction and eating disorder pathology. The findings support the need to conceive of body dissatisfaction as a public health concern in its own right.
PURPOSE: Body dissatisfaction is strongly associated with quality of life impairment among both male and female adults, and the strength of this relationship is comparable between the sexes. Whether this is the case among adolescents, however, is unclear. METHODS: Adolescent girls (n = 1,135) and boys (n = 531) aged 12-18 years were recruited from secondary schools located in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Students completed a survey that included measures of body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms, and psychosocial health- and physical health-related quality of life. RESULTS:Girls reported higher levels of dissatisfaction than boys for each of the 12 body features assessed. The strength of the adverse associations between body dissatisfaction and quality of life impairment did not, however, differ by sex, and this was the case for both physical health-related and psychosocial quality of life domains. For both girls and boys, associations between body dissatisfaction and both quality of life impairment persisted after controlling for eating disorder symptoms, body mass index, and other covariates. CONCLUSIONS: While levels of body dissatisfaction remain higher in girls than in boys, the adverse impact of body dissatisfaction on adolescents' quality of life does not appear to differ by sex. This impact entails impairment in both physical health and psychosocial quality of life domains and does not appear to be accounted for by an association between body dissatisfaction and eating disorder pathology. The findings support the need to conceive of body dissatisfaction as a public health concern in its own right.
Authors: Jessica H Baker; M K Higgins Neyland; Laura M Thornton; Cristin D Runfola; Henrik Larsson; Paul Lichtenstein; Cynthia Bulik Journal: Dev Psychol Date: 2019-04-15
Authors: Megan N Parker; Marian Tanofsky-Kraff; Ross D Crosby; Meghan E Byrne; Sarah LeMay-Russell; Taylor N Swanson; Eliana Ramirez; Lisa M Shank; Kweku G Djan; Esther A Kwarteng; Loie M Faulkner; Shanna B Yang; Anna Zenno; K Karthik Chivukula; Scott G Engel; Sheila M Brady; Susan Z Yanovski; Jack A Yanovski Journal: Int J Eat Disord Date: 2021-05-04 Impact factor: 5.791
Authors: María Del Carmen Pérez-Fuentes; María Del Mar Molero Jurado; Ana Belén Barragán Martín; África Martos Martínez; José Jesús Gázquez Linares Journal: Nutrients Date: 2019-02-02 Impact factor: 5.717
Authors: Kimberly B Glazer; Hannah N Ziobrowski; Nicholas J Horton; Jerel P Calzo; Alison E Field Journal: J Adolesc Health Date: 2021-05-29 Impact factor: 7.830
Authors: Megan C Whatnall; Amanda J Patterson; Yu Yao Siew; Frances Kay-Lambkin; Melinda J Hutchesson Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2019-10-24 Impact factor: 3.390