Teen dislike of physical appearance strong predictor of depression in early adulthood
See all news
![A group of teenagers sitting in the library](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/news-early-adulthood-760x374.jpg?la=en&h=374&w=760&mw=847&hash=6DC0E86EAC06B71C8734FFA63B406142)
Teens who are unhappy with their physical appearance are at significantly heightened risk of depression by the time they reach early adulthood, reveals the first UK study of its kind, published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
The study was led by researchers Dr Helena Lewis-Smith, Dr Amy Slater and Dr Isabelle Bray from UWE Bristol and Dr Anna Bornioli from Erasmus University Rotterdam. The findings show that the size of the increased risk ranges from 50% to 285% with boys more likely to experience severe depression than girls.
Dislike of one’s physical appearance, formally known as body dissatisfaction, affects up to 61% of teens worldwide. It has been identified as a risk factor for eating disorders, unhealthy behaviours, and poor mental health.
Most published research on body dissatisfaction and depression has been carried out in the US, and few studies have explored the issue among young men and Millennials--those born between 1981 and 1997-- to factor in the influence of the internet, technology, and social media.
In a bid to plug these knowledge gaps, the researchers drew on nearly 4000 participants in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a population-based long term tracking study of women and their children born in 1991/2 and living in Somerset, England.
When they were 14, some 3753 teens were asked to rate satisfaction with their physical appearance by scoring their weight, figure, body build and specific areas, including breasts, stomach, waist, thighs, buttocks, hips, legs, face and hair, on a 5-point scale, where 0 equals ‘extremely dissatisfied’ and 5 equals ‘extremely satisfied’.
Both the boys (1675) and the girls (2078) were mildly satisfied with their body, overall. But girls were more dissatisfied than boys. Girls tended to dislike their thighs, stomach, and weight, but liked their hair and hips. Boys tended to be dissatisfied with body build, stomach, and hips, but weren’t bothered about their hair, weight, or legs.
Nearly 1 in 3 (32%) of the girls and around 1 in 7 (14%) of the boys were dissatisfied with their weight, and around 1 in 4 (27%) girls and 1 in 7 (14%) boys were dissatisfied with their figure.
When they were 18, depressive symptoms were formally assessed using a validated scale (CIS-R). Girls were more likely to experience episodes of depression than the boys. One in 10 (10%) of the girls reported at least one mild depressive episode compared with 1 in 20 (5%) of the boys. Nearly 7% of the girls and nearly 3% of the boys reported at least one moderately severe depressive episode, while severe depressive episode(s) affected 1.5% of the girls and less than 1% (0.7%) of the boys.
Analysis of the data revealed that body dissatisfaction at the age of 14 predicted depressive episodes of all degrees of severity among the girls, and mild and severe depressive episodes among the boys by the time they were 18 years old. These findings held true, even after taking account of depressive symptoms at the age of 14.
Among the girls, each increase in the body dissatisfaction scale at the age of 14 was associated with a heightened risk of experiencing at least one mild (63%), moderate (67%) and/or severe (84%) depressive episode at the age of 18. The strength of this association increased with the severity of the depressive episode.
The impact of body dissatisfaction on mild depressive episodes was comparable between boys and girls, but its impact on severe depressive episodes was stronger among the boys.
Each increase in the body dissatisfaction scale at the age of 14 among the boys was associated with a heightened risk of experiencing at least one mild (50%) and/or severe (285%) depressive episode at the age of 18.
“It is possible that in the era of social media and increasing pressures on body ideals, male adolescents have also become sensitive to [idealised body image] pressures, which may translate into later depressive episodes,” suggest the researchers.
The researchers acknowledge that the lack of ethnic and socioeconomic diversity in the ALSPAC data, and the absence of any information on sexual orientation may limit the wider applicability of the findings. And the measure of body dissatisfaction assessed in the questionnaires was skewed towards female appearance ideals.
Nevertheless, they conclude: “These findings demonstrate that body dissatisfaction should be considered as a public health issue of pressing concern. [It] is highly prevalent among young people in the general population and has an increasing incidence; the findings indicate that reducing body dissatisfaction might be an effective strategy to reduce mental health issues.”
Related news
![Members of the Centre for Appearance Research standing for a group photo, with balloons in the background](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/car-anniversary-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=DB550ACB3604EBA25099B9C3D3944EDC)
24 May 2024
Impact of world-leading Centre for Appearance Research celebrated on 30th anniversary
It has grown from two researchers and a PhD student to become what is considered the largest research centre in the world focussed on appearance and body image. Now the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) has celebrated its 30th anniversary.
![A choir, dressed in black, singing](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/sing-for-happiness-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=93348AAAB0FE92C6F3A08BF25933D518)
22 May 2024
Singers brought together by happiness research to take to the stage
The event is the grand finale of ground-breaking research by UWE Bristol and St George's Bristol exploring the links between singing and wellbeing.
![A mother lies on a bed alongside her young baby](/-/media/uwe/images/news/motherhood-pandemic-adobestock-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=A5D13C5B88DEC68412A7FE9B32A3D1BD)
01 May 2024
The hidden work of new mothers exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic
New research has uncovered how the pandemic intensified and exposed the immense layers of unpaid work by mothers during maternity leave.
![Female with long fair hair with her back to camera holding a small brown dog in her arms, with the dog facing the camera over her shoulder](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/dog-theft-research-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=6B48D7A7D4C02FE382B0A4E65E6B75E4)
26 April 2024
Study reveals emotional turmoil experienced after dog theft is like that of a caregiver losing a child
A new study led by a UWE Bristol researcher has revealed that emotional turmoil experienced by dog owners after their pet has been stolen is like/ akin to that of losing a loved one such as a caregiver losing their child.
![UWE Bristol rugby player Louis James stands on a rugby pitch with his arms folded](/-/media/uwe/images/news/positive-masculinity-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=F5CC6D6441145F65B38B6A556FF04C9C)
18 April 2024
New UWE Bristol film promotes positive masculinity
A new UWE Bristol film poses the question 'what does it mean to be a man in 2024?'
![Aerial view of UWE Bristol's Frenchay campus](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/university-mental-health-charter-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=AF8BEC1EE5F249BC079CEC16CDA281CC)
14 March 2024
UWE Bristol becomes first university to earn Merit status for approach to mental health and wellbeing
UWE Bristol has become the first university in the UK to achieve the University Mental Health Charter ‘Award with Merit’ for embedding mental health and wellbeing as a strategic priority and implementing a whole-university approach.
![Collage image of four photos showing (clockwise from top left) a man with two young children stood outside a building, mould growing on a front door, a family of five smiling outside a house, and a bust road with lots of traffic](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/unhealthy-places-truud-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=3966025468B3D732865F979373D22405)
06 March 2024
New films share first-hand family experiences of living in unhealthy places
Four families explain the toll of living conditions on their physical and mental health in a series of films to help change urban planning policy and practice in the UK.
![Shaila Afroj UWE Senior Research Fellow](/-/media/uwe/images/news/shaila-afroj-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=A0CF47D10F8EAA2FC54D8DD7E7845F03)
13 February 2024
Funding secured to develop sustainable health-monitoring e-textiles
A UWE Bristol academic has been given a New Investigator Award to further develop wearable sustainable e-textiles to monitor heart patients.
![Feet of a newborn baby, held by the hand of an adult, with a shard of sunlight shining onto both the feet and the hand](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/newborn-temperature-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=E9EB860DCC4DBBFDE2D89B6081DD1E2A)
01 February 2024
Health services respond with changes after research reveals chance to improve temperature checks in prehospital births
Emergency services call handlers and paramedics have improved their working practices in response to findings from UWE Bristol research into out-of-hospital births.
![Man focusing as he takes a photograph using an SLR camera in a clinical setting](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/diverse-images-project-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=9F7BEB7F41B013C677C0FFDD7F60FBEF)
26 January 2024
Project to tackle lack of diversity in photographs of medical conditions
A shortage of photography showing medical conditions on darker skin tones will be addressed as part of a project led by UWE Bristol.
![Doctors in a hospital operating theatre, carrying out surgery on a patient](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/nhs-study-liz-jenkinson-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=56DD3D71F5B093B5DA20E60AE5C0BF09)
10 January 2024
No laughing matter: leadership critical to help address NHS retention crisis
Doctors turned comedians Adam Kay, Harry Hill and Phil Hammond have teamed up with universities to highlight issues underscoring the NHS retention crisis.
![An urban area, focused on a street with terraced houses and parked cars, with the sun shining brightly in the background](/-/media/uwe/images/news/news-items/extreme-heat-urban-410x230.jpg?h=230&w=410&la=en&hash=54F1F627285C5A17DAB2FAFD69612A97)
04 December 2023
Research calls for urgent focus to reduce impact of extreme heat on chronic diseases linked to urban environments
Advanced tools and more experimental studies are needed to urgently understand the impact of extreme heat events on urban health and wellbeing in the UK.