Adolescent body dissatisfaction is linked to mental health problems in young adulthood
Submitted by Ilaria Costantini
Body dissatisfaction is a common concern among adolescents that has been linked to eating disorders, depression, and higher or lower body mass index (BMI). However, previous studies have not been able to demonstrate whether body dissatisfaction itself is likely to cause these outcomes or whether these associations are explained by other factors. For example, genetics or family environment may make someone more likely to both be dissatisfied with their appearance and to have mental health difficulties, and be the real causes of these associations.
To learn more, we used data from 2,183 twins participating in the UK Twins Early Development Study. We explored whether body dissatisfaction at age 16 was associated with eating disorder and depressive symptoms, and BMI between the ages of 21 and 26. We did this by comparing identical and non-identical twins who share many genetic and family influences that are difficult to measure in other studies.
We found that adolescents with greater body dissatisfaction had more severe eating disorder and depressive symptoms, and a higher BMI. However, when we compared identical twins who differed in body dissatisfaction, we no longer saw differences in BMI, which suggests that shared genetic or family factors may have been the real drivers of this association. On the other hand, the associations with eating disorder and depressive symptoms remained, which suggests that body dissatisfaction may have a unique role in these symptoms developing.
Reducing body dissatisfaction during adolescence could improve young people’s mental health. We now need more evidence on which factors need to be addressed achieve this.
I’m a young person – what does this mean for me?
Feeling unhappy with your appearance is common during adolescence, but it should not be dismissed as simply "part of growing up". If you feel this way often or they are affecting your mood, eating, or daily life, talking to someone you trust can help. Our findings suggest that body dissatisfaction is linked to later depressive and eating disorder symptoms, highlighting the importance of recognising these concerns and seeking support when needed.