Body image and body (dis)satisfaction in youth: evolution from 10 to 18 years of age

Body image satisfaction is an important component of self-esteem and psychological health. Body dissatisfaction is particularly frequent in adolescence, in relation with body changes due to puberty. This study was designed to explore the dimensions of body image (dis)satisfaction in adolescents. Participants were 84 school students (28 boys) ranging from 10 to 18 years of age. They completed an original inventory evaluating concerns with body image, perceived body defaults, body satisfaction and reactions to idealized beauty in the media. They provided information about their gender, height, and weight, and completed the Physical Self Perception Inventory, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale. Results showed that 49% of adolescents reported concerns with body image, with a higher prevalence in girls and older adolescents, while body dissatisfaction was reported in 60% of the sample, in relation with body concerns. Self-esteem and physical self-perception were reduced in adolescents with body concerns or body dissatisfaction, but anxiety and depression were increased only in adolescents with body concerns. Older adolescents (14-18) reported significantly more defaults than younger one, with less variability in girls who robustly mentioned their nose, stomach, bust and acne. Finally, participants report ambiguous reaction to idealized beauty in the media, some expressing anxiety/inferiority while other found a motivation to take care of their body. Our study confirms preoccupations to body image and body dissatisfaction are important in adolescence, particularly in girls, and increase with age, possibly due to the exposition of idealized beauty in the media.