Body dissatisfaction is a common problem among adolescent girls that is linked to serious outcomes, including the development of eating disorders. This study tested to what degree five theorized risk factors (weight-related teasing, thin-ideal internalization, body mass index [BMI], self-esteem, and perfectionism) predicted prospective changes in body dissatisfaction. At baseline, 393 10th and 11th grade girls (M = 15.8 years) completed questionnaires and had their height and weight measured. One year later, 316 participants’ body dissatisfaction was reassessed (80.4% retention). Results suggested that self-esteem was the most potent risk factor, followed by BMI, when used to categorize girls into high- and low-risk groups for body dissatisfaction at follow-up. However, weight-related teasing, thin-ideal internalization, and perfectionism did not prove to be risk factors. These results suggest self-esteem and BMI are relevant variables for helping to identify middle-adolescent girls who may be at risk for subsequent increases in body dissatisfaction.
Body dissatisfaction, defined as a negative self-evaluation of one's body shape and weight (Cash & Pruzinsky, 1990), is a serious problem that is common among adolescent girls (Jones, Bennett, Olmsted, Lawson, & Rodin, 2001) and is associated with a variety of risky behaviours, including early sexual activity, self-harm behaviour, and suicide planning (Cook, MacPherson, & Langille, 2007). Prospective studies have shown that body dissatisfaction predicts subsequent increases in dieting (Stice, Mazotti, Krebs, & Martin, 1998), negative affect (Stice & Bearman, 2001), and lower levels of physical activity (Neumark-Sztainer, Paxton, Hannan, Haines, & Story, 2006). Moreover, body dissatisfaction is a primary risk factor for the development of eating disorders (Stice & Shaw, 2002). Despite evidence of these serious consequences, our current appreciation of variables and mechanisms underlying the etiology and development of body dissatisfaction is limited (Stice & Whitenton, 2002). The range of ages studied and varying durations of follow-up have complicated the picture. Consequently, the purpose of the present study was to test to what degree a set of postulated risk factors predicted longitudinal changes in body dissatisfaction, over and above initial levels of body dissatisfaction among middle-adolescent girls.
