Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-8mjnm Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-18T14:34:40.772Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Bidirectional associations between body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms from adolescence through early adulthood

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 November 2017

Helen Sharpe*
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
Praveetha Patalay
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool
Tse-Hwei Choo
Affiliation:
Columbia University
Melanie Wall
Affiliation:
Columbia University
Susan M. Mason
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
Andrea B. Goldschmidt
Affiliation:
Brown University Alpert Medical School
Dianne Neumark-Sztainer
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Helen Sharpe, Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, Scotland; E-mail: helen.sharpe@ed.ac.uk.

Abstract

Body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms are commonly experienced during adolescence and increase the risk of adverse health outcomes, especially eating disorders. However, the dominant temporal associations between these two experiences (i.e., whether one is a risk factor for the other or the two are mutually reinforcing) has yet to be fully explored. We examined the associations between body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms assessed at baseline and 5- and 10-year follow-up in younger (M age = 12.9 years at baseline, 56% female, n = 577) and older (M age = 15.9 years at baseline, 57% female, n = 1,325) adolescent cohorts assessed as part of Project Eating Among Teens and Young Adults. Associations between body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms were examined using cross-lagged models. For females, the dominant directionality was for body dissatisfaction predicting later depressive symptoms. For males, the picture was more complex, with developmentally sensitive associations in which depressive symptoms predicted later body dissatisfaction in early adolescence and early adulthood, but the reverse association was dominant during middle adolescence. These findings suggest that interventions should be tailored to dynamic risk profiles that shift over adolescence and early adulthood, and that targeting body dissatisfaction at key periods during development may have downstream impacts on depressive symptoms.

Type
Regular Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

This study was supported by Grant R01HL084064 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (Principal Investigator, D.N.-S.). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute or the National Institutes of Health. Andrea B. Goldschmidt was supported by Grant K23-105234 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

References

Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55, 469. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469Google Scholar
Bearman, S. K., & Stice, E. (2008). Testing a gender additive model: The role of body image in adolescent depression. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36, 12511263. doi:10.1007/s10802-008-9248-2Google Scholar
Bradford Brown, B. (2004). Adolescents' relationships with peers. In Lerner, R. M. & Steinberg, L. (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.Google Scholar
Chen, G., Guo, G., Gong, J., & Xiao, S. (2015). The association between body dissatisfaction and depression: An examination of the moderating effects of gender, age, and weight status in a sample of Chinese adolescents. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 25, 245260. doi:10.1017/jgc.2015.6Google Scholar
Cyranowski, J. M., Frank, E., Young, E., & Shear, M. K. (2000). Adolescent onset of the gender difference in lifetime rates of major depression: A theoretical model. Archives of General Psychiatry, 57, 21. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.57.1.21Google Scholar
Fergusson, D. M., Horwood, L. J., Ridder, E. M., & Beautrais, A. L. (2005). Subthreshold depression in adolescence and mental health outcomes in adulthood. Archives of General Psychiatry, 62, 6672. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.62.1.66Google Scholar
Ferreiro, F., Seoane, G., & Senra, C. (2011). A prospective study of risk factors for the development of depression and disordered eating in adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 40, 500505. doi:10.1080/15374416.2011.563465Google Scholar
Himes, J. H., Hannan, P., Wall, M., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2005). Factors associated with errors in self-reports of stature, weight, and body mass index in Minnesota adolescents. Annals of Epidemiology, 15, 272278. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2004.08.010Google Scholar
Jacobi, C., Hayward, C., de Zwaan, M., Kraemer, H. C., & Agras, W. S. (2004). Coming to terms with risk factors for eating disorders: Application of risk terminology and suggestions for a general taxonomy. Psychological Bulletin, 130, 1965. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.130.1.19Google Scholar
Jones, D. C., Vigfusdottir, T. H., & Lee, Y. (2004). Body image and the appearance culture among adolescent girls and boys. Journal of Adolescent Research, 19, 323339. doi:10.1177/0743558403258847Google Scholar
Kandel, D. B., & Davies, M. (1982). Epidemiology of depressive mood in adolescents: An empirical study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 39, 12051212. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1982.04290100065011Google Scholar
Kelly, Y., Patalay, P., Montgomery, S., & Sacker, A. (2016). BMI development and early adolescent psychosocial well-being: UK Millennium Cohort Study. Pediatrics, 138, e20160967. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-0967Google Scholar
Knauss, C., Paxton, S. J., & Alsaker, F. D. (2007). Relationships amongst body dissatisfaction, internalisation of the media body ideal and perceived pressure from media in adolescent girls and boys. Body Image, 4, 353360. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2007.06.007Google Scholar
Larson, N., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M., van den Berg, P., & Hannan, P. J. (2011). Identifying correlates of young adults’ weight behavior: Survey development. American Journal of Health Behavior, 35, 712725. doi:10.5993/AJHB.35.6.7Google Scholar
Lehrer, J. A., Shrier, L. A., Gortmaker, S., & Buka, S. (2006). Depressive symptoms as a longitudinal predictor of sexual risk behaviors among US middle and high school students. Pediatrics, 118, 189200. doi:10.1542/peds.2005-1320Google Scholar
Little, R. J. A. (1986). Survey nonresponse adjustments for estimates of means. International Statistical Review, 54, 139157.Google Scholar
Luppino, F. S., de Wit, L. M., Bouvy, P. F., Stijnen, T., Cuilpers, P., Penninx, B. W., & Zitmn, F. G. (2010). Overweight, obesity, and depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Archives of General Psychiatry, 67, 220229. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.2Google Scholar
Marceau, K., Ram, N., Houts, R. M., Grimm, K. J., & Susman, E. J. (2011). Individual differences in boys’ and girls’ timing and tempo of puberty: Modeling development with nonlinear growth models. Developmental Psychology, 47, 13891409. doi:10.1037/a0023838Google Scholar
McCabe, M. P., & Ricciardelli, L. A. (2004). Body image dissatisfaction among males across the lifespan: A review of past literature. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 56, 675685. doi:10.1016/S0022-3999(03)00129-6Google Scholar
Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (2012). Mplus user's guide (7th ed.). Los Angeles: Author.Google Scholar
Neumark-Sztainer, D., Croll, J., Story, M., Hannan, P. J., French, S. A., & Perry, C. (2002). Ethnic/racial differences in weight-related concerns and behaviors among adolescent girls and boys: Findings from Project EAT. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 53, 963974. doi:10.1016/S0022-3999(02)00486-5Google Scholar
Neumark-Sztainer, D., Paxton, S. J., Hannan, P. J., Haines, J., & Story, M. (2006). Does body satisfaction matter? Five-year longitudinal associations between body satisfaction and health behaviors in adolescent females and males. Journal of Adolescent Health, 39, 244251. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.12.001Google Scholar
Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M., Hannan, P. J., & Croll, J. (2002). Overweight status and eating patterns among adolescents: Where do youths stand in comparison with the healthy people: 2010 objectives? American Journal of Public Health, 92, 844851. doi:10.2105/ajph.92.5.844Google Scholar
Neumark-Sztainer, D., Wall, M., Guo, J., Story, M., Haines, J., & Eisenberg, M. (2006). Obesity, disordered eating, and eating disorders in a longitudinal study of adolescents: How do dieters fare 5 years later? Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 106, 559. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2006.01.003Google Scholar
Patalay, P., Sharpe, H., & Wolpert, M. (2015). Internalizing symptoms and body dissatisfaction: Untangling temporal precedence using cross-lagged models in two cohorts. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56, 12231230. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12415Google Scholar
Paxton, S. J., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Hannan, P. J., & Eisenberg, M. E. (2006). Body dissatisfaction prospectively predicts depressive mood and low self-esteem in adolescent girls and boys. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 35, 539549. doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp3504_5Google Scholar
Pingitore, R., Spring, B., & Garfieldt, D. (1997). Gender differences in body satisfaction. Obesity Research, 5, 402409. doi:10.1002/j.1550-8528.1997.tb00662.xGoogle Scholar
Presnell, K., Bearman, S. K., & Stice, E. (2004). Risk factors for body dissatisfaction in adolescent boys and girls: A prospective study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 36, 389401. doi:10.1002/eat.20045Google Scholar
Quick, V., Eisenberg, M. E., Bucchianeri, M. M., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2013). Prospective predictors of body dissatisfaction in young adults: 10-year longitudinal findings. Emerging Adulthood, 1, 271282. doi:10.1177/2167696813485738Google Scholar
Russell-Mayhew, S., McVey, G., Bardick, A., & Ireland, A. (2012). Mental health, wellness, and childhood overweight/obesity. Journal of Obesity, 2012. doi:10.1155/2012/281801Google Scholar
Schooler, D. (2013). Early adolescent body image predicts subsequent condom use behavior among girls. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 10, 5261. doi:10.1007/s13178-012-0099-9Google Scholar
Stice, E., & Bearman, S. K. (2001). Body-image and eating disturbances prospectively predict increases in depressive symptoms in adolescent girls: A growth curve analysis. Developmental Psychology, 37, 597. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.37.5.597Google Scholar
Strauman, T. J., Vookles, J., Berenstein, V., Chaiken, S., & Higgins, E. T. (1991). Self-discrepancies and vulnerability to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 946. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.61.6.946Google Scholar
van den Berg, P., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2007). Fat ’n’ happy 5 yars later: Is it bad for overweight girls to like their bodies? Journal of Adolescent Health, 41, 415417. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.06.001Google Scholar
van den Berg, P., Thompson, J. K., Obremski-Brandon, K., & Coovert, M. (2002). The tripartite influence model of body image and eating disturbance: A covariance structure modeling investigation testing the mediational role of appearance comparison. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 53, 10071020. doi:10.1016/S0022-3999(02)00499-3Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Sharpe et al supplementary material

Sharpe et al supplementary material 1

Download Sharpe et al supplementary material(File)
File 22 KB
Supplementary material: Image

Sharpe et al supplementary material

Sharpe et al supplementary material 2

Download Sharpe et al supplementary material(Image)
Image 238.7 KB
Supplementary material: File

Sharpe et al supplementary material

Sharpe et al supplementary material 3

Download Sharpe et al supplementary material(File)
File 68.1 KB