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Perceived weight, actual weight, and depressive symptoms in a general adolescent sample
Author(s) -
Kaplan Stuart L.,
Busner Joan,
Pollack Simcha
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/1098-108x(198801)7:1<107::aid-eat2260070111>3.0.co;2-#
Subject(s) - psychology , depressive symptoms , sample (material) , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , anxiety , chemistry , chromatography
To examine the relationship between perceived weight, actual weight, and depressive symptoms in a general adolescent sample, 344 junior and senior high school students were administered the Beck Depression Inventory and the Health Behaviors Questionnaire. Chi‐square analyses revealed that perceptions of weight varied by sex but not by age. An analysis of variance using depression scores as the dependent variable revealed a main effect for age, with 11‐13 year olds less depressed than 14‐16 or 17‐18 year olds; a main effect for weight perception, with those who perceived themselves to be of normal weight less depressed than those who thought they were underweight or overweight; and a significant interaction of actual weight and sex, with females tending to be less depressed if actually underweight and males tending to be less depressed if actually overweight.