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Risk factors for body dissatisfaction in adolescent boys and girls: A prospective study
Author(s) -
Presnell Katherine,
Bearman Sarah Kate,
Stice Eric
Publication year - 2004
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/eat.20045
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , disordered eating , affect (linguistics) , prospective cohort study , eating disorders , interpersonal communication , clinical psychology , social psychology , medicine , communication , surgery
Objective Despite evidence that body dissatisfaction predicts the onset of eating pathology and depression, few prospective studies have investigated predictors of body dissatisfaction. Method We examined risk factors for body dissatisfaction using prospective data from 531 adolescent boys and girls. Results Elevations in body mass, negative affect, and perceived pressure to be thin from peers, but not thin‐ideal internalization, social support deficits, or perceived pressure to be thin from family, dating partners, or media, predicted increases in body dissatisfaction. Gender moderated the effect of body mass on body dissatisfaction and revealed a significant quadratic component for boys, but not girls. Gender also moderated negative affect. Discussion Results support the assertion that certain sociocultural, biologic, and interpersonal factors increase the risk for body dissatisfaction, but differ for boys and girls. Results provided little support for other accepted risk factors for body dissatisfaction. © 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 36: 389–401, 2004.