How Serious is Body Dissatisfaction in Adolescents?

Being dissatisfied with one’s body is never a pleasant experience, but could it have more serious consequences than discomfort and lack of confidence? Body dissatisfaction is not an uncommon occurrence, especially in mid-adolescents, making the potential long-term effects of these negative perceptions even more concerning.

It is theorized that body dissatisfaction, particularly in the vulnerable demographic of adolescents, may lead to more serious issues. Depression is the foremost concern in this regard, leading researchers to conduct a study to evaluate the potential link between body dissatisfaction and depressive episodes.

The Study

A population-based sample of 2,078 females and 1,675 males was assessed in Britain. These adolescents were included in a logistic regression study to determine if body dissatisfaction at the age of 14 could be used to predict depressive episodes at age 18.

Researchers were looking for several outcomes, including mild to severe depressive episodes, as well as a correlation between earlier body dissatisfaction and these outcomes.

Findings

Females with body dissatisfaction experienced a correlation between said dissatisfaction and all three tiers of depressive episodes—mild, moderate, and severe. Males, on the other hand, showed a link between body dissatisfaction and mild and severe depressive episodes.

In short, body dissatisfaction among adolescents aged 14 did correlate with the development of depressive episodes later in life (at 18 years old).

What it Means

This study was the first of its kind to establish and demonstrate a connection between adolescent body dissatisfaction and the later expression of depressive episodes. In this way, it is an extremely important piece of research that not only created a study-based link between two prevalent health crises but also provides a foundation on which other studies can build and develop.

The participants included in this study were born in the early 1990s, meaning that the data used in this study, while not outdated, is aged. More research should be conducted regarding the topics confronted here in order to develop more in-depth insights, including factors such as socioeconomic demographics.

However, this study does highlight that body dissatisfaction, particularly among adolescents, is a serious public health concern that should be treated as such. This may include further research, as well as the implementation of more advanced diagnosis and treatment methods to more proactively aid adolescents in their health struggles.