The relationship between body image of obese adolescent girls and depression, anxiety and stress

Abstract

Objective (s): Obesity is a major public health problem worldwide. This study aimed to investigate on relationship between body image and depression, anxiety and stress among obese adolescent girls in Tehran, Iran. Materials: This was a cross-sectional study of 837 teen girls aged 13 to 18 years old in Tehran, Iran. Data were collected a three part questionnaire including questions on sociodemograhic information, the Multidimensional Body-self Relations (MBSRQ), and depression, anxiety and stress standard questionnaire (DASS-21). Pearson correlation coefficient was used for investigation of the relationship between body image and depression, anxiety and stress. Results: The findings showed that there was significant negative relationship between obesity and body image in adolescent girls with depression (P=0.001), anxiety (P=0.035) and stress (P<0.001). Conclusion: Obesity might have negative impact on mental health in adolescent girls.

Keywords

• obesity
• body image
• depression
• anxiety
• stress