thesis on body image and self esteem

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Self-Esteem and Body Image: A Correlational Study

2020, i-manager's Journal on Humanities & Social Sciences

Self esteem is an important aspect of everyone's life and synonymous to respect, regard and acceptance towards oneself. Body image is a crucial element contributing to the development of self concept and self esteem. This study tries to understand the relationship between the two. In this paper it is hypothesized that high self Esteem will lead to positive body Image, hence lead to peaceful journey in one's life. For exploring the same, sample of 80 undergraduate female students were selected via purposive sampling method. Rosenberg's self esteem scale (Morris Rosenberg) &The Body Image Questionnaire (Bruchon-Schweitzer (BIQ), based on five point ratings were used to collect the data. Descriptive and inferential analysis were used to analyze the data. Results discuss the relationship between self esteem and body image. Future implications of this research has also been highlighted.

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This study aims to find out the relationship between self-esteem and body image in grade XI students at SMA Negeri 12 Bekasi. This type of research uses descriptive analysis with correlational techniques. The number of subjects used in this study was 122 students of grade XI science and social sciences. Sampling techniques using simple random sampling. Data collection used is the psychological scale of self-esteem and body image questionnaires. After performing a validity test on the self-esteem scale obtained 29 valid items with very strong reliability (0.817), as well as the body image scale obtained 31 valid items with very strong reliability (0.907) and can be used as a data collection tool. The data analysis method used is the product-moment correlation test. The results showed the correlation coefficient r = 0.562 with the signification of p = 0.000 (p < 0.01) so that the conclusion of the results of this study showed that there is a significant relationship between self-es...

JOURNAL OF INDIAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION (IPHA) CHANDIGARH STATE BRANCH, CHANDIGARH (U.T.) Volume 3, No.9 July 2018

Suchpreet Kaur

Background: Adolescence age is phase of really rolling and vivid emotional and physical changes. Perception and satisfaction with one’s body image can be dominated by physical and psychological changes, Physical and psychological changes can influence perception and satisfaction with body image, both of which are key stone in the augmentation of self-esteem and social adjustment among adolescent. Objective: To assess the perceived impact of body image on self esteem among adolescent girls and To associate the perception of body image & self-esteem with selected demographic variables. Methods: A Descriptive study to assess the perceived impact of body image on self-esteem among adolescent girls in Baru Sahib, Himachal Pradesh was done in may 2016. A structured questionnaire for body image and Rosenberg scale for self-esteem were used. The Reliability of tool was worked out by using Cronbach’s alpha and was found to be 0.78. The study was conducted on 100 adolescent girls aged 14-19 years. Results: The mean and standard deviation were computed for perception of body image among adolescent girls. The most of the subjects fall in the category of 43-69 indicating that they are partially satisfied from their body image. The self-esteem was measured by using the Rosenberg Self-esteem scale in which most of the sample i.e. 94 (%) falls in normal limits (score of 15 to 25). Using the Karl Pearson’s method, relation coefficient (r) was calculated which was equal to 0.6 indicating that body image and self-esteem has strong positive relation. Further, The significant association was found between adolescents’ weight and perceived body image. On the other hand, the self-esteem among adolescent girls was found to be significantly associated with education, height and weight. Conclusion: Body image and self-esteem go hand in hand. With body dissatisfaction and in try of changing their body shape can lead to unhealthy practices with food and exercise. On the other hand, with low self-esteem, people have a lower worth about themselves and think about themselves as nobody, which can negatively influence their mental capabilities. Key Words: Adolescent, Body image, self- esteem.

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Annie Thomas

Body image perception can influence the person in a different way such as psychologically, emotionally, and so on, affecting their self-esteem and causing. Adolescents suffering from body image dissatisfaction have a high chance to increase negative thoughts among themselves such as getting addicted to alcohol, and drugs, unhealthy body transformation treatments and medicines, and suicide. There is an immediate need to counsel these adolescents and to implement primary intervention and psycho-educational interventions. The present study mainly focuses on gender differences and the relationship between body image and self-esteem among adolescents, aged 14 to 18 in Mysuru. This study incorporated 60 participants including 30 males and 30 females. Snowball sampling was used to receive the information from the samples and the tools used for the data collection were Body-Image Questionnaire (BI), and Rosenberg self-esteem questionnaire, and the following information was analyzed using SPSS software and involved the Chi-Square test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman's correlation coefficient. The findings showed that among adolescents, there is a considerable positive association between body image and self-esteem. Also, there is a big disparity in self-esteem and body image between the sexes. The study's findings suggest that effective intervention strategies, such as counseling, are necessary, health, and physical education should be practiced in schools, colleges, and society. The implications of the results were discussed and further suggestions were made for future studies.

Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry

PAYAL K A N W A R CHANDEL

The present endeavour was undertaken to compare the Body-Esteem and Self-concept among young boys and girls. A sample of 200youth aged between (15-24) years of Jaipur city was taken for the study. The sample comprised of an equal number of boys (n = 100) and girls (n = 100) respondents. The sample was selected by the means of the Convenience Sampling method. The data for the present study were obtained with the help of Body Esteem scale (Frost et al., 2018) and Self-Concept Scale (Deo, 2011).To achieve the objective of the study, a Between-group design was created. Moreover, the analysis of the obtained data was done with the help of an independent-sample test. The results of the study showed significantly higher Mean scores on Weight concern and Physical condition among girls when compared with boys. Moreover, on the self-concept scale, Boys obtained significantly higher Mean scores on emotions, Character, and Aesthetic dimensions when compared with girls. The findings have future implications.

Kwartalnik Naukowy Fides et Ratio

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Introduction: Motherhood is an amazing experience for a woman. It turns out, however, that the joy of having a baby is often accompanied by a negative body image and, at the same time, a reduction in self-esteem. Method: The study sample consisted of 60 puerperal women. A personal questionnaire was used to collect information related to pregnancy, family situation. The body image was verified with the Body Esteem Scale (BES), and the MSEI Multidimensional Self-Assessment Questionnaire was used to test the self-esteem. The research was conducted in the first three quarters of 2019 in Poland. Results: 66.7% of the mothers surveyed gave birth without complications, 53.3% breastfed their babies. Among women for whom appearance is very important, the lowest weight gain was observed during pregnancy. The relationship between the body image in all its dimensions and the support obtained from relatives has been proven (p=0.001 to 0.036). It has been proved that the type of feeding the child...

International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research

Judith Bernardo

Physical attractiveness is how an individual’s physical appearance is assessed in terms of beauty or aesthetic qualities. In socio-psychological literature, it is known that people with low self-esteem tend to evaluate themselves poorly in comparison with others. The goal of the current study is to examine how a person’s self-esteem and body-esteem influences one’s perception of the physical attractiveness of himself/herself and of other people, especially when one’s physical appearance is made salient. A questionnaire was administered to 123 high school students. This was comprised of socio-demographic profile, Rosenberg’s (1965) self-esteem scale, Franzoi and Shield’s (1984) Body-esteem scale, and Measures of Physical Attractiveness. The subjects were then divided into a control and treatment group following a matched-pairs design. They were further divided into The second part is comprised of nine photographs of other people of similar age which the subjects were asked to rate ba...

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Introduction: Although body image is a crucial part of the human development structure, there are few psychological publications regarding this subject. For a better perception of the body image, there must be a very clear notion about the way the individual feels about himself. Body image dissatisfaction is present in boys and girls, leading to self-esteem decrease. Self-perception and body image become critical for a proper development in youth, making the period very important. Objectives: This study is investigating the way in which dissatisfaction is linked to body weight and shape differentiates preadolescents’ self-esteem. The aim is to investigate the way in which social self-esteem in preadolescents has certain differences between genders in preadolescents and certain characteristics such as body mass perception, real body mass image and desired body mass image. Methods: 60 girls and 60 boys with ages between 11 and 14 years old, all of them with the same educational level,...

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Relationship Between Body Image and Self-Esteem Among Adolescent Girls

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Social Media Use and Its Impact on Body Image: The Effects of Body Comparison Tendency, Motivation for Social Media Use, and Social Media Platform on Body Esteem in Young Women

Add to collection, downloadable content.

• October 19, 2021
• Affiliation: Hussman School of Journalism and Media, Mass Communication Graduate Program
• The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of social media use on body esteem in young women. Through a self-report survey of college women (n=339), it was found that body comparison tendency was negatively correlated with body esteem and positively correlated with the motivation to use social media for body comparisons (both p<.01). This study also provided an exploratory investigation (n=58) of the impact that different social media platforms have on body satisfaction. Of the platforms examined, Facebook showed the largest negative correlation with body satisfaction (r=-.204). Participants who engaged in higher levels of Facebook use also displayed significantly lower body satisfaction than those with lower Facebook use (p<.05). This study suggests that social media is a new avenue for individuals to engage in maladaptive body comparison processes, creating a need for health communication and behavior change interventions that address this issue, especially among vulnerable populations.
• body esteem
• Public health
• Communication
• body comparison
• social media
• body satisfaction
• body dissatisfaction
• https://doi.org/10.17615/f0zw-xf26
• Masters Thesis
• In Copyright
• Lazard, Allison
• Widman, Laura
• Master of Arts
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School

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Self-esteem and social media addiction level in adolescents: The mediating role of body image

Mehmet colak.

Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Freelance Physician, Izmir, Turkey

Ozlem Sireli Bingol

1 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Freelance Physician, Mugla, Turkey

2 Department of Psychiatry, Beykent University Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

Background:

There are many studies examining the relationship between social media and self-esteem. Studies examining the relationships between the self-esteem, social media use, and body image of adolescents are limited in the literature.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between self-esteem and social media addiction levels in adolescents and the mediating role of body image in the relationship between these two variables.

The sample of the study consisted of 204 adolescents, 67 (32.8%) girls and 137 (67.2%) boys, with a mean age of 15.90 ± 1.20 years, who were high school students. The self-esteem levels of the participants were evaluated with the “Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale”, their social media dependency levels were measured with the “Social Media Use Disorder Scale”, and their body images were measured using the “Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire”.

No significant relationship was found between the self-esteem levels of the participants and their ages or the education levels of their parents. There was a negative moderate significant relationship between the self-esteem levels of the participants and their social media addiction levels, and a positive moderate significant correlation was found between their self-esteem levels and body images. It was found that the social media addiction levels of the participants negatively predicted their self-esteem and body image levels. It was determined that body image had a partial mediator effect on the relationship between the social media addiction and self-esteem levels of the participants.

Conclusion:

Our results revealed that there is a negative correlation between self-esteem and social media addiction levels in adolescents. Body image has a partial mediating role in the relationship between social media addiction and self-esteem levels.

INTRODUCTION

Self-esteem refers to feelings of love, respect, and trust that a person feels toward oneself as a result of knowing oneself and evaluating oneself realistically, accepting their abilities and strengths as they are and embracing oneself.[ 1 ] Self-esteem has a very important place in human life, especially in adolescence.[ 2 ]

Adolescents use their self-perception as a tool when seeking answers to developmental questions such as what they are like and how they feel about themselves. Self-image plays an important role in the way adolescents approach themselves, and therefore, in the formation of self-esteem.[ 2 ] There are many studies examining self-esteem and the factors affecting self-esteem in adolescent individuals.[ 3 ] Studies have found that many factors such as sociodemographic variables, family structure, parental attitudes, peer relationships, perceived social support levels, academic success, and physical and/or mental illness are associated with self-esteem in adolescents.[ 3 , 4 ] Social media is thought to affect self-esteem during adolescence.[ 5 ]

Social media is defined as a structure consisting of various technological activities in social interaction and content creation. In this structure, the individual introduces oneself to other individuals, either as they are or with another identity that they want to have and can interact with.[ 6 ] Social media provides convenience in terms of acquiring and sharing information. However, it can easily turn into addiction when used frequently and/or at an uncontrollable level.[ 7 ] Studies have shown that the group with the highest frequency of social media use is adolescents.[ 7 , 8 ] Many studies have demonstrated that the excessive use of social media negatively affects areas such as academic functionality, social relationships, mental health, life satisfaction, and self-esteem in adolescents.[ 9 , 10 ] Most research has indicated a negative relationship between social media use and self-esteem. Adolescents with low self-esteem have high levels of social media use.[ 11 , 12 ] Body image is another important factor that affects self-esteem in adolescents.[ 13 ]

Body image is defined as a person’s feelings and thoughts about their own body regarding how their physical appearance is evaluated by others.[ 14 ] Studies have shown a positive relationship between body image and self-esteem in adolescents and that self-esteem levels are high in adolescents with a highly positive body image.[ 13 , 15 ]

Aside from studies reporting that the excessive use of social media negatively affects self-esteem, there are also studies showing that social media has positive effects on adolescents.[ 16 , 17 ] The differences in the results of studies on the topic suggest that some mediator variables may play a role in the relationship between social media use and self-esteem in adolescents.

As per previous research, there is a relationship between self-esteem and body image in adolescents. However, studies examining the relationships between these two variables along with the variable of social media use seem to be limited.[ 18 , 19 ] This study aimed to investigate the relationship between self-esteem and social media use in adolescents and the mediating role of body image in this relationship. The literature review that was conducted for this study revealed no previous study examining the mediating role of body image in the relationship between social media addiction and self-esteem levels. It is thought that the results of this study will contribute to the literature on this topic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study was conducted at a public high school in the Bodrum district of Mugla in the academic year of 2020-2021. Participants were randomly selected from students studying in the first, second, third, and fourth years of high school education. The minimum required sample size was calculated with G*Power (3.1.9.4) against a nominal significance level of α = 0.5 and power values of 1-β = 0.8 and 1-β = 0.9. As per the results of the analysis, the number of participants to be included was determined as 204. Students aged 14-18 years who voluntarily agreed to participate were included in the study.

Sociodemographic Data Form: The form that was prepared by the researchers included questions on demographic information such as the age, gender, grade level, parental age, and parental education levels of the participants.

Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES): The scale was developed by Morris Rosenberg (1965). The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was performed by Cuhadaroglu.[ 1 ] The scale consists of 63 items and 12 subtests. In this study, only the self-esteem subtest was used. In the test, which was arranged as per the Guttman measurement method, positively and negatively worded items were ordered consecutively. As per the self-assessment system of the scale, the responded obtains a score between 0 and 6. In comparisons made with numerical measurements, self-esteem is evaluated as high (0-1 points), moderate (2-4 points), or low (5-6 points). A high total score of the scale indicates low self-esteem and a low total score indicates high self-esteem. The validity coefficient of the scale was found to be 0.71 and its reliability coefficient was 0.75 in its Turkish adaptation studies.

Social Media Use Disorder Scale (SMD-9): The scale was developed to measure the social media addiction levels of adolescents by Van den Eijnden, Lemmens, and Valkenburg (2016). The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Saricam.[ 20 ] SMD consists of two separate forms, a short form with 9 items and a long form with 27 items. While preparing the items, the criteria in the Pathological Gambling Addiction title in DSM-IV and Internet Gambling Disorders in DSM-5 were taken as the basis, and a total of nine criteria (occupation, endurance, withdrawal, insistence, escape, problems, cheating, displacement, and conflict) were used. An item pool was created. There is one item for each criterion in the nine-item short form. The scale has an 8-point rating between “0 = never” and “7 = more than 40 times a day”. The total score of the scale ranges between 0 and 63. The Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale was reported as 0.75 and its Guttman split half test reliability coefficient was found as 0.64. The corrected item total correlation coefficients ranged from 0.29 to 0.73 in the Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale.

Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ): This scale was developed by Winstead and Cash (1984) to determine the attitudes of individuals about their body image. MBSRQ is a 5-point Likert-type scale consisting of 57 items. The scale consists of seven dimensions. These dimensions are “physical appearance evaluation”, “appearance orientation”, “physical ability evaluation”, “physical adequacy orientation”, “health evaluation”, “health orientation”, and “satisfaction with body areas”. The minimum and maximum total scores of the scale are 57 and 285, respectively. A high total score indicates a positive body image, while a low score indicates a negative body image. The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was performed by Dogan and Dogan.[ 21 ] The Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale was reported as 0.94, and the internal consistency coefficients of the dimensions ranged between 0.75 and 0.91 in the Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale.

Ethics Committee approval for the study was received from Beykent University Publication Ethics Committee (July 24, 2020). The necessary permissions were obtained from the Provincial Directorate of National Education (November 17, 2020). The scales, which were converted into an online questionnaire by the researchers, were delivered to the students via e-mail. An information form about the study was sent to the students and their parents, and consent for participation was obtained. All scales were administered simultaneously, online, in a single session, and in approximately 20 minutes for each participant.

Statistical analysis

All data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Windows version 22.0 software. The relationships between the continuous variables were evaluated with the “Pearson correlation test”, and the relationships between the variables that did not fit normal distribution were evaluated with the “Spearman correlation test”. The mediation effect of the independent variables was tested with the “causal steps approach” of Baron and Kenny.[ 22 ] The statistical significance of the mediation effect was evaluated with the bootstrap method suggested by Preacher and Hayes.[ 23 ] P <.05 was considered statistically significant.

Among the participants, 67 (32.8%) were girls and 137 (67.2%) were boys. The mean age of all participants was 15.90 ± 1.20 years. The mean age of the mothers of the participants was 42.58 ± 4.76 years, and the mean age of their fathers was 46.49 ± 5.28 years. Among the mothers of the participants, 63 (30.9%) were primary school graduates, 60 (29.4%) were high school graduates, and 81 (39.7%) were university graduates. It was found that among the fathers of the participants, 51 (25%) were primary school graduates, 65 (31.9%) were high school graduates, and 88 (43.1%) were university graduates. The daily social media usage times of the participants were as less than 1 hour for 14 (6.9%) participants, 1-2 hours for 71 (34.8%) participants, 3-4 hours for 67 (32.8%) participants, and more than 4 hours for 52 (25.5%) participants.

The mean RSES, SMD-9, and MBSRQ scores of the participants are given in Table 1 .

The mean RSES, SMD-9, and MBSRQ scores of the participants

RSES: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; SMD-9: Social Media Use Disorder Scale; MBSRQ: Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire; SD: Standard deviation

Some significant results were obtained in the correlation analyses performed to evaluate the relationships between the examined variables. There was a negative moderate significant relationship between the RSES scores and SMD-9 scores of the participants ( P <.001), while there was a positive moderate significant relationship between their RSES and MBSRQ total scores ( P <.001). A negative, weak, and significant correlation was found between the SMD-9 and MBSRQ total scores of the participants ( P <.05; P <.001). No significant correlation was found between the RSES scores of the participants and their ages or parental education levels ( P >.05) [ Table 2 ].

Results of the correlation analyses between RSES scores and the ages, SMD-9 scores, and MBSRQ scores of the participants

* P <0.05, ** P <0.001; Pearson Correlation Test, Spearman Correlation Test; RSES: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; SMD-9: Social Media Use Disorder Scale; MBSRQ: Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire

Table 2 . Results of the correlation analyses between RSES scores and the ages, SMD-9 scores, and MBSRQ scores of the participants.

The mediating role of body image (MBSRQ) in the relationship between self-esteem (RSES) and social media use (SMD-9) levels was examined in line with three conditions suggested by Baron and Kenny (1986). First, there must be a significant relationship between SMD-9 and MBSRQ, which are both independent variables, and RSES. Second, the mediator variable, MBSRQ, must be significantly related to the two examined variables, SMD-9 and RSES. Third, when the mediator variable is controlled, there should be a decrease in the degree of relationship between the two variables. A decrease in the degree of this relationship is accepted as an indicator of partial mediation, and the loss of significance of the relationship is accepted as an indicator of complete mediation. In the model that was established to test if the necessary criteria were met, the mediation effect of MBSRQ total scores on the relationship between SMD-9 and RSES scores was tested. Three separate regression equations, which are presented in Figure 1 , were created. As per the results of the regression analysis, SMD-9 scores had a direct and significant effect on RSES scores (B = -0.08; t = -5.45; P <.001). It was seen that SMD-9 scores significantly and directly predicted the mediating variable and MBSRQ total scores (B =-0.70; t = -2.16; P <.05). When the MBSRQ total scores variable was added to the model to evaluate its mediator role, it was found that the relationship between SMD-9 and RSES scores was still significant, but there was a decrease in the level of significance of this relationship. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the MBSRQ total scores (B = -0.06; t =-4.93; P <.001) variable played a partial mediator role in the relationship between SMD-9 and RSES scores.

The mediator role of MBSRQ scores in the relationship between SMD-9 and RSES scores. * P < .05, ** P < .001; RSES: Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale; SMD-9: Social Media Use Disorder Scale; MBSRQ: Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire

Whether the effects of the mediator variable were significant was examined using the bootstrap method. The bootstrap method is a nonparametric method based on resampling multiple times (1,000 or 5,000) by replacement. The indirect mediator effect is calculated for each new sample. The significance of the mediator effect is determined by calculating the most known confidence interval and whether there is a zero value in this interval. The absence of a zero value in the confidence interval indicates that the indirect effect is different from zero. As suggested by Preacher and Hayes (2008), the effects of the mediator variable on a 5,000-person bootstrap sample were examined. As per the results, the partial mediator effect of the MBSRQ total scores variable was significant in the relationship between RSES and SMD-9 scores (B = -0.01; 95% BCa CI [-0.024, -0.001]).

As per the results of this study, there was no significant relationship between the self-esteem levels of the adolescents and their ages and the education levels of their parents. There was a negative significant relationship between the self-esteem and social media addiction levels of the participants, while there was a positive significant relationship between their self-esteem and body image levels. As a result of the mediation analysis, the social media addiction levels of the participants were found to negatively predict their self-esteem and body image levels. It was determined that body image had a partial mediating effect in the relationship between self-esteem and social media addiction.

In studies examining the relationship between self-esteem and sociodemographic variables in adolescents, it was found that self-esteem did not vary significantly based on age.[ 24 ] In our study, in accordance with the literature, no significant relationship was found between the self-esteem levels of the participants and their age. Studies have mostly shown a significant relationship between parental education levels and the self-esteem levels of adolescents, and as the parental education levels increase, self-esteem levels also increase.[ 25 ] In our study, no significant relationship was found between the education levels of the parents of our participants and the self-esteem levels of the participants. Our results, which were inconsistent with the literature, may have occurred due to the small sample size.

It was shown that there is a correlation between self-esteem and social media use in adolescents.[ 26 ] In a study conducted by Woods and Scott with 467 adolescents, it was found that adolescents with high levels of social media use had low self-esteem.[ 27 ] Jan et al .[ 28 ] reported a negative correlation between the daily social media usage times and self-esteem levels of their participants. Thirty three studies on the subject published between 2008 and 2016 were examined in a meta-analysis study conducted by Liu and Baumeister.[ 29 ] In the study, it was reported that there was a negative relationship between social media use and self-esteem. In our study, it was found that the self-esteem and social media addiction levels of the participants were negatively related. Additionally, it was determined that social media addiction had a direct and significant effect on the self-esteem levels of the participants. It is known that the self-esteem levels of adolescents are negatively affected by mental disorders, especially depression and/or anxiety disorder.[ 30 ] The results of our study suggested that the self-esteem and social media addiction levels of adolescents are negatively related, similarly to the literature. However, the fact the mental health statuses of the participants were not assessed in our study limits the interpretability of the results.

Many studies have shown that self-esteem is related to body image in adolescents.[ 31 ] In a cross-sectional study, 290 participants were divided into two groups (12-15 years: early adolescence and 15-19 years: late adolescence), and a positive significant relationship was observed between the self-esteem and body image of the participants in both groups.[ 32 ] Almeida and Shivakumara reported a strong, positive, and significant relationship between the self-esteem and body image levels of the participants in a study that included 120 adolescents (age range: 11-19 years).[ 33 ] Similarly, in the literature, positive and significant relationships were found between the self-esteem levels and body images of adolescents, as in this study. An individual’s body image forms a whole with their self-concept and affects their personality, values, and social relationships as per theoreticians.[ 1 ] The body and body image, which are the most concrete parts of the self, are a significant reference in the identity development process of an adolescent.[ 34 ] It may be stated that the results of this study were expected due to the effect of body image in adolescence on self-esteem.

The mediator effect of body image in the relationship between the self-esteem and social media addiction levels of adolescents was investigated in our study. Our findings revealed that the adolescents’ body image levels played a partial mediator role in the relationship between their social media addiction levels and self-esteem levels. In the literature, no study examining the mediator role of body image in the relationship between social media addiction and self-esteem levels was found. However, there are studies evaluating the mediator role of body image in the relationship between social media use and other variables in adolescents. A study that was conducted with a large sample revealed that a negative body image had a direct and significant effect on the relationship between the social media use levels of adolescents and their depressive symptoms (mean age: 14 years).[ 35 ] Lee et al .[ 36 ] reported that body satisfaction was low in university students who used social media for information about body image, and a negative body image directly affected the psychological wellbeing of the participants. Studies examining the relationship between social media use and body image have demonstrated a significant positive relationship between a negative body image and frequency of social media use.[ 37 ] A study conducted with 1,087 female adolescents (between the ages of 13 and 15 years) determined that 75% of the participants had at least one social media account, and the negative body image levels of the participants who used social media were significantly higher than those who did not use social media.[ 38 ] A similar study pointed to a negative significant relationship between the time adolescents spent on social media and their status of having a positive body image.[ 39 ] The results of our study and those of other studies in the literature have shown a negative relationship between the social media addiction levels and body image of adolescents, and a less positive body image affects the self-esteem of adolescents negatively. It is known that body image is affected by sociocultural factors, and the media is an important factor in shaping the ideal body image of the individual.[ 40 ] The excessive use of social media may negatively affect the ideal body images of adolescents. A negative body image may cause a decrease in self-esteem.

Our results suggested that body image plays a partial mediator role in the relationship between social media addiction and self-esteem levels in adolescents. It is known that self-esteem in adolescents is very important in terms of identity development and mental health. It is emphasized that considering the effects of social media addiction and social media usage levels on body image and self-esteem in adolescents with low self-esteem is important both in the treatment of mental diseases known to be directly related to self-esteem and in terms of preventive mental health interventions.

Our study had some limitations. The self-esteem, body image, and social media addiction levels of the participants were measured only with self-reported scales. The lack of a diagnostic evaluation of adolescents by face-to-face interviews was an important limitation. Our study was a cross-sectional study. It is thought that longitudinal studies are needed to better explain the causal relationships between self-esteem and other variables.

Ethical approval

Ethics Committee approval for the study was received from Beykent University Publication Ethics Committee (July 24, 2020).

Financial support and sponsorship

No financial support or sponsorship was used for this research.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

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Research Article

The contrasting effects of body image and self-esteem in the makeup usage

Roles Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Project administration, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

* E-mail: [email protected]

Affiliation Department of Experimental Psychology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

Roles Data curation, Funding acquisition, Writing – review & editing

Roles Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Writing – review & editing

Roles Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Supervision, Writing – review & editing

• Anthonieta Looman Mafra, 
• Caio S. A. Silva, 
• Marco A. C. Varella, 
• Jaroslava V. Valentova

• Published: March 25, 2022
• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265197
• Peer Review
• Reader Comments

Women wearing makeup are perceived by others as more attractive, competent, dominant, and more socially prestigious. Individuals differ in how much and how frequently they use makeup. Some studies show that women with lower self-esteem use more makeup, probably to hide imperfections. However, women with higher self-esteem can also use makeup to attract attention. This study verified whether social and general self-esteem and body image are associated with makeup usage in Brazilian women. We collected data from 1,483 women ( M age = 31.08; SD = 11.15) about body image (appearance orientation and appearance evaluation), social self-esteem, general self-esteem, and makeup usage (frequency of makeup usage, time spent applying makeup per day, and money spent on makeup per month). Appearance orientation positively predicted frequency of makeup usage, time spent applying makeup, and money spent on makeup, whereas appearance evaluation inversely predicted money spent on makeup per month. Social self-esteem and general self-esteem also positively predicted money spent on makeup, but in different directions. The results suggest that the significance given to appearance and social interactions are importantly associated with makeup usage in women.

Citation: Mafra AL, Silva CSA, Varella MAC, Valentova JV (2022) The contrasting effects of body image and self-esteem in the makeup usage. PLoS ONE 17(3): e0265197. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265197

Editor: Piotr Sorokowski, University of Wroclaw, POLAND

Received: July 22, 2021; Accepted: February 26, 2022; Published: March 25, 2022

Copyright: © 2022 Mafra et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Data Availability: Data used to this paper can be found by accessing the following link: https://osf.io/d2z7e/ (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/D2Z7E ).

Funding: AM was supported by the FAPESP (Fundação de amparo à pesquisa do estado de são paulo, Grant number: 2018/16370-5), CS was supported by CNPq (Conselho nacional de desenvolvimento científico e tecnológico, Grant number 143811/2019-3), MV was supported by the CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Grant number 33002010037P0—MEC/CAPES).

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction

Surveys with American women showed that 78% spent one hour per day on their appearance (e.g., hair treatments, dressing up, and makeup). Taking on average 55 minutes of women’s day, hair and makeup seemed to need more time invested than other appearance related behaviors. [ 1 ] American women did not only spend time on active appearance enhancing behaviors, but between the most watched categories by women on YouTube, the top two are appearance related [ 1 ]. Another study showed that American women spent, on average, 10 minutes on makeup in the morning and 85% tended to apply at least 16 products on their faces before leaving home. The results also concluded that New York women spent around 300,000 US dollars during their lifetime on facial cosmetics [ 2 ]. These examples illustrate the importance American women attribute to physical appearance and self-care [e.g., 3 ].

Women’s attractiveness is an important factor in their lives, affecting how they feel about themselves. Several studies found a positive relationship between attractiveness and self-esteem in women [e.g., 4 , 5 ]. Cash et al. [ 6 ] found that physical appearance is positively correlated with appearance satisfaction, and Grilo et al. [ 7 ] found a positive relation between appearance evaluation and general self-esteem. However, these studies have focused on general self-esteem.

Whereas general self-esteem reflects how a person feels about themselves and their value in comparison to others [ 8 ], social self-esteem is how individuals feel about themselves during social interactions with others, and how those interactions affect their social value [ 9 ]. In this way, social self-esteem is more affected by social interactions than general self-esteem. Social self-esteem is positively linked to use of social network sites [ 10 , 11 ] whereas general self-esteem appears to be inversely proportional to social network sites [ 12 , 13 ], especially in women [ 14 ]. Vogel and colleagues [ 15 ] found that social comparison negatively affected general self-esteem negatively. Thus, the increase in digital media usage increased the pressure to look as good as possible because people were increasingly exposed to images and videos of very good looking individuals [ 16 ]. On the other hand, Steinsbekk and colleagues [ 14 ] found that self-oriented social network sites use was not related to general self-esteem. Therefore, social network sites might increase social self-esteem by promoting more social interactions.

Although appearance can be manipulated for better or for worse [ 17 ], the most common direction of appearance manipulation is appearance enhancement rather than worsening. Appearance enhancement is considered to be a self-promotion strategy in which one may capture more attention from others [ 18 ]. To enhance their attractiveness and to look better than same sex peers, women in Western societies use various tactics, such as high heels [e.g., 19 ], cosmetic surgeries [e.g., 20 ], and/or makeup [e.g., 21 ]. Interestingly, Kelley [ 16 ] interviewed 132 American college women and found that 37% of them reported they started using makeup because they were unsatisfied with their appearance. In sixth grade girls with negative self-esteem, using makeup increases pleasure pursuit [ 22 ]. Gentina et al. [ 23 ] found that makeup can also serve as a ritual of transition to adulthood among adolescents.

A recent experimental study compared women’s self-perception without makeup and with professionally applied makeup and showed that made up women considered themselves more feminine, attractive, more satisfied with appearance, and as having higher self-esteem [ 24 ]. Similarly, women wearing their usual facial cosmetics rated themselves as more attractive than when the cosmetics were removed [ 6 ]. A cross-sectional study further reported that women who rated themselves lower on physical attractiveness used more makeup [ 25 ].

Although individual differences in physical facial attractiveness are larger than intra-individual differences caused by facial cosmetics [ 26 ], makeup is used to improve evaluation by others [ 6 , 27 ] and may enhance prosocial feelings [ 25 ]. However, contrasting results were found regarding self-esteem and their relationship with makeup usage. Robertson and colleagues [ 25 ] found that self-esteem is negatively related to cosmetic usage whereas Al-Samydai et al. [ 28 ] findings pointed to a positive association. Nevertheless, the contrasting results may be due to the characteristics of the samples: the first study was conducted on 30 British undergraduate women and the latter on 606 Jordanian women. Studies investigating the association between self-esteem and makeup usage in different sociocultural settings are needed.

There are several ways to measure appearance, including perception of physical attractiveness (e.g., facial or body attractiveness rated by others), morphological measures (e.g., muscularity, body shape), and body image (e.g., individuals’ attitude toward appearance). Body image is broadly used to measure appearance because it is the reflection of individual satisfaction with their physical appearance and the importance placed on always looking good [ 28 ]. Whereas appearance orientation measures the importance attributed to their own appearance, such as how important they think it is to always look good, appearance evaluation measures how attractive the individual considers themselves, how satisfied they are with their own body [ 28 ]. Thus, body image measures self-perception of their attractiveness and also the pressure they put on themselves to always look good. Researchers relating makeup and body image tend to approach only the appearance evaluation factor, leaving out appearance orientation [e.g. 6 , 29 ], despite several studies showing the impact social pressure exerts on individuals’ self-perception [ 7 ], self-esteem [ 10 ], and even well-being [ 11 ].

Thus, our goal was to test if makeup usage in women (frequency of makeup usage, money spent on makeup, and time spent applying makeup per day) is predicted by general and social self-esteems, and body image (self-perceived attractiveness and importance one gives to tidiness). Despite some contrasting findings, Al-Samydai et al. [ 28 ] pointed out that makeup enhances women’s social interactions and performance and Robertson et al. [ 25 ] found a positive relationship between makeup usage and self-presentation and self-consciousness. Therefore, we expected that makeup usage would be predicted by social-related aspects (appearance orientation and social self-esteem) rather than by appearance evaluation and general self-esteem.

Materials and methods

Participants.

A total of 1,651 Brazilian women took part in the research. For the present study, 1,483 women between 18 and 75 years old ( M age = 31.08; SD = 11.15) entered in the final analyses. All the 168 participants younger than 18 years had their data excluded. This sample was comprised 32.2% of women with graduate degrees, 26.1% undergraduate students, 20.6% women with completed undergraduate degrees, 10.0% women with secondary education, 9.3% graduate students, and 1.7% with no education or unfinished secondary education. Most of the women considered themselves White (73.0%), 17.8% indicated mixed ethnicity ( pardo ), 4.8% identified as Black, 2.8% as Asian, and 1.6% indicated “Other” ethnicity.

About family income, most of the participants (27.4%) declared from approximately US$ 499 to 998 (exchange rate of the day December 28 2021), 19.4% declared from US$ 998 to 1,496, 15.4% declared from US$ 166 to 498, 15% declared more than US$ 2,494, 11.8% declared from US$ 1,497 to 1,995, 8% from US$ 1,996 to 2,493, and 3.1% up to US$ 165. The average Brazilian income per capita was US$ 313 in 2018 (when most of the data was collected) [ 30 ]. Most participants were from Southeast Brazil.

Instruments

Participants completed a Qualtrics online questionnaire (Qualtrics, Provo, UT), containing sociodemographic questions, Cosmetics Use Inventory and additional questions, Social self-esteem questionnaire, General self-esteem questionnaire, and Body image scale.

Sociodemographic questions.

This section included questions such as age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, relationship status, current pregnancy, and current socioeconomic status (educational level and family income).

Cosmetics use inventory [ 31 ].

We used a part of an adapted version of the inventory [ 32 ] in which participants rate on a 7-point-scale the frequency they use from “never” to “always”: 1. base, concealer, and/or powder; 2. mascara; 3. eyeliner or eye pencil; 4. shade; and 5. lipstick and/or gloss. Higher averaged scores correspond to higher levels of facial cosmetic use. We used the version translated (and back translated) into Brazilian Portuguese. All the variables were positively associated (i.e., women who use more one type of makeup tend to use the other types of makeup more frequently, too) (See S1 Table in S1 File ).

Further, participants responded about their monthly expenses with makeup using the following options (in our survey in Brazilian Reals): USD 0, up to USD 2.50, USD 2.50–6, USD 6–10, USD 10–15, USD 15–20, USD 20–25, USD 25–50, more than USD 50. Time spent applying makeup per day was responded using the following options: less than 5 minutes, 5–10 minutes, 10–20 minutes, 20–30 minutes, more than 30 minutes.

Social self-esteem questionnaire [ 9 ].

This is a 30-item instrument composed of phrases describing one’s ability to deal with different social situations. The participant answers how accurately each sentence describes what her behavior or feelings would be in each situation on a six-point Likert scale. The higher the score, the greater the participant’s ease in dealing with social situations (e.g., “I make friends easily”). We used the version translated (and back translated) into Brazilian Portuguese (Cronbach α = 0.95).

General self-esteem questionnaire [ 8 ].

This is a 10-item instrument with a four-point Likert response scale. It contains affirmations about individuals’ feelings and beliefs about themselves (e.g., “On the whole, I am satisfied with myself”). We used the version translated and adapted into Portuguese and validated for the Brazilian population (Cronbach α = 0.91) [ 33 ].

Body image scale [ 28 ].

This is an attitudinal body image instrument composed of two subscales measuring appearance evaluation and appearance orientation with a five-point Likert response scale. The subscales are composed of 17 statements, 11 of them related to appearance orientation (e.g. “It is important that I always look good”) and six related to appearance evaluation (e.g. “I like my looks just the way they are”). We used the version translated (and back translated) into Brazilian Portuguese (Cronbach α = 0.82).

After written ethical approval by the local Institutional Review Board of Anhembi Morumbi University (nr. 2.960.684), participants were recruited through social media and institutional e-mails. Thus, it was a sample based on convenience, and does not represent the Brazilian population. Participants completed informed consent and then responded to anonymous online questionnaires. Inclusion criteria were to have access to the Internet and to be a Brazilian woman 18 years old or older. Participants took 30 minutes on average to complete the survey.

Data analyses

First, using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y., USA), we checked data normality (See S2 Table in S1 File ). Most data were not normally distributed, and we thus conducted exploratory non-parametric correlations among makeup usage, social and general self-esteems, and body image in order to verify correlations among the independent variables and test for multicollinearity. The independent variables were weakly and moderately associated, with low risk of multicollinearity (VIF ranged from 1.002 to 2.002).

Second, to test for a possible effect on makeup usage, social and general self-esteems, and body image entered as independent variables into categorical regressions (CATREG). We chose to use this analysis because it uses an optimal scaling feature that solves the problem of lack of linearity of the scales and it calculates an optimal regression equation and the effect of each independent variable (appearance orientation, appearance evaluation, general self-esteem, and social self-esteem) on the dependent variables (frequency of makeup usage, money spent on makeup, and time spent doing makeup per day). All statistical tests were performed with the significance level indicated at .05.

Makeup usage descriptives

Most participants use makeup half of the time (26.2%) or sometimes (24.9%) and 44.9% spend less than five minutes applying makeup per day. Also, 19.6% spent nothing and 19.6% spent up to USD 2.50 on makeup per month. See S3 to S5 Tables in S1 File for detailed data.

Correlations between makeup usage and social and general self-esteem, and body image attitudes

Kendall correlation indicated that money spent on makeup per month, time spent applying makeup per day, and frequency of makeup usage are moderately and positively correlated (See Table 1 ). Further, these three measures of makeup usage are moderately and positively correlated to appearance orientation. Money spent on makeup per month and frequency of makeup usage are weakly and positively related to social self-esteem. Frequency of makeup usage also presented a positive and weak correlation with general self-esteem. Social self-esteem was moderately and positively correlated with general self-esteem, weakly and positively associated with appearance evaluation and appearance orientation. General self-esteem was moderately and positively associated with appearance evaluation.

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265197.t001

The sociodemographic variables (age, family income, and educational level) were weakly and positively associated with money spent on makeup, frequency of makeup usage, general self-esteem, social self-esteem, and appearance evaluation. There were no associations among the sociodemographic variables and time spent on makeup and appearance orientation.

The effect of general and social self-esteems and body image on makeup usage

To test for a possible effect of social and personal self-esteems, and body image on makeup usage, we conducted three categorical regression models, with money spent on makeup per month, time spent applying makeup per day, and frequency of makeup usage as dependent variables. We also included the sociodemographic variables age, family income, and educational level in the analyses in order to control the variability of our sample ( Table 2 ).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265197.t002

Only appearance orientation and age predicted time spent applying makeup per day and frequency of makeup usage, whereas all variables except educational level predicted money spent on makeup.

The aim of the study was to verify if general and social self-esteems and body image (i.e., appearance orientation and appearance evaluation) were associated with makeup usage among Brazilian women. Altogether, our findings suggested that women who feel comfortable with their appearance and have higher general self-esteem spent less money on makeup whereas women with higher social self-esteem spent more money on makeup; and women who allocated more importance to the way they looked not only spent more money on makeup but spent more time applying makeup and using makeup more frequently.

Appearance orientation was a significant predictor of makeup usage. Thus, women who give more importance to their appearance and are always neat, use makeup more often, spend more time applying makeup, and spend more money on makeup. Similarly, Robertson et al. [ 25 ] found a positive relationship between cosmetic usage and self-presentation. In women, appearance orientation is also linked to neuroticism and narcissism [ 34 ], eating disorders [ 35 ], and drive for muscularity in men [ 36 ]. Women frequently have their bodies objectified, i.e. treated like an object that exists to please others. Through self-objectification, they disconnect their bodies from their persons, and sometimes internalize this perspective and start evaluating and treating themselves as mere bodies [ 37 ], highlighting the visual assessment. Women with higher levels of self-objectification would place more attention to their appearance and grooming instead of other aspects, such as identity development. Therefore, appearance orientation may be used as a measure of self-objectification [ 34 ]. A deeper investigation about appearance orientation and self-objectification should be conducted in order to clarify if they are in fact measuring similar traits.

Further, when adolescents with positive body image were interviewed, they claimed their family and friends used to talk about their appearance, but not about their bodies (i.e., they comment about their clothing, hair style, makeup, etc., but not about their physical traits, such as how fat they are [ 38 ]). Thus, someone’s appearance orientation is more liable in commentaries than someone’s body. It suggests that appearance orientation would be more susceptible to social influences than appearance evaluation, and consequently, would be positively related to appearance modifications, including makeup usage. This would also explain why accepting oneself is negatively related to purchasing makeup.

Corroborating Frisén and Holmqvist’s [ 38 ] results, we found that women with higher appearance evaluation, i.e. women who were more satisfied with their appearance, tended to spend less money on makeup. Our study supported findings of Robertson and colleagues [ 25 ] who reported an inverse association between cosmetic usage and self-rated physical appearance. For these individuals, makeup usage may not be related to satisfaction with their body, so it does not make them feel physically more attractive. Indeed, cosmetics have a smaller impact on individuals higher in attractiveness than on less attractive individuals [ 26 ].

Frederick and Reynolds [ 39 ] presented the cognitive behavioral model in which makeup would be an appearance fixing strategy, being a response to emotions and thoughts related to body image. That is, factors experienced throughout an individual’s life influenced one’s body image by associating their appearance schema. Future experiences can activate this model, influencing how this new information is processed. The thoughts and emotions related to one’s schema will respond by adjusting self-regulatory processes. Makeup usage, thus, would be a way to improve body image through fixing imperfections in people who are not satisfied with their appearance (appearance schema) and are concerned about it.

Additionally, Mafra et al. [ 40 ] conducted a study on Brazilian men and women with low socioeconomic status and found that spending more money on cosmetics did not make women feel better about themselves (e.g., more attractive). According to a review by Tylka and Wood-Barcalow [ 41 ], positive body image is the acceptance of one’s own body, feeling happy and complete even knowing its imperfections and that it is not consistent with idealized images. Nevertheless, others’ perceptions also may influence individuals’ positive body image [ 39 ] as well as the type of watched advertisement may influence women’s self-esteem, body image, and mood [ 42 ].

Social self-esteem is a positive predictor of money spent on makeup per month. Although Robertson et al. [ 25 ] found a negative association between cosmetic usage and social confidence, adolescent girls reported to use makeup because they wanted to feel admired by the public [ 23 ], suggesting that makeup functions improve social impressions. In a recent review, Davis and Arnocky [ 18 ] argued that makeup may be used as a strategy to enhance social status. In fact, besides bringing advantages in attracting mates and competing with rivals [ 21 ], makeup usage was positively associated with social interaction and performance [ 43 ], with women who use makeup being perceived as more competent [ 44 ], more dominant, and higher in social prestige [ 45 ]. As social interactions are important for people with high social self-esteem levels, makeup may be a tool to increase confidence in interpersonal relationships. On the other hand, women who feel good about themselves (i.e., with high general self-esteem) tended to spend less money on makeup usage. This result also corroborated Robertson et al. [ 25 ], in which a negative correlation between makeup usage and general self-esteem was found.

According to a recent study, makeup use also affects other women. After being exposed to pictures of same-sex peers wearing makeup, Australian undergraduate women reported willingness to change their appearance, for example, hair, skin [ 29 ]. Possibly, women who give more importance to physical appearance invest more money also on other beauty products, not just makeup. Future research investigating how other products that can enhance women’s appearance relate to appearance orientation and ideal stereotypes of beauty could make a great contribution to the field.

Overall, our study suggested that women with greater self-esteem associated with social interactions would attribute higher importance to their appearance, resulting in more makeup usage. Makeup usage may enhance women’s confidence to deal with social situations. However, our study was cross-sectional, thus an experimental study could complement our approach by testing if social-related aspects influence the consumption of makeup more than intrinsic-related aspects. Another important point to highlight is that the social influence on makeup usage is rather speculative since we have not directly asked the participants about the possible impact of the media and social networks on their body image. Finally, our sample was composed by a majority of highly educated Caucasian women of medium to high family incomes, which does not fully represent the Brazilian population (mostly composed by Black and mixed ethnicities in low educational levels and low family income earnings). A study trying to reach more women outside the university may better represent the Brazilian population.

Supporting information

S1 file. additional analyses..

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0265197.s001

Acknowledgments

We are grateful for English proofreading and helpful suggestions made by Prof. Daniel J. Kruger. We are also grateful to the participants and researchers who donated their time for this to become a reality.

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Home > Student Publications and Other Works > Theses and Dissertations > Master's Theses > 3546

Master's Theses

The relationship between body image and self-esteem among undergraduates.

Steven C. Abell , Loyola University Chicago

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Master of Arts (MA)

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Abell, Steven C., "The Relationship between Body Image and Self-Esteem among Undergraduates" (1988). Master's Theses . 3546. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/3546

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  International Journal of Home Economics, Hospitality and Allied Research Journal / International Journal of Home Economics, Hospitality and Allied Research / Vol. 3 No. 1 (2024) / Articles (function() { function async_load(){ var s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.async = true; var theUrl = 'https://www.journalquality.info/journalquality/ratings/2408-www-ajol-info-ijhehar'; s.src = theUrl + ( theUrl.indexOf("?") >= 0 ? "&" : "?") + 'ref=' + encodeURIComponent(window.location.href); var embedder = document.getElementById('jpps-embedder-ajol-ijhehar'); embedder.parentNode.insertBefore(s, embedder); } if (window.attachEvent) window.attachEvent('onload', async_load); else window.addEventListener('load', async_load, false); })();  

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

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Relationship of body image, self-esteem, socio-economic status and peer influence with teenage pregnancy in ibadan, oyo state, nigeria, habeeb omoponle adewuyi.

Teenage pregnancy has been identified as a social issue that requires attention. Given the negative impact on teenage mothers, the people who care for them, and the children they give birth to. This study examined the pattern of relationship between body image, self esteem, socio economic status, peer influence, and teenage pregnancy. This study employed a correlational design, and a multistage sampling procedure was utilized. Adolescents in Ibadan constitutes the population (N = 150; 12.0% below 14 years, 58.7% 14 16 years, while 29.3% were 17 19 years). Participants completed standardized instruments: (Body Image Acceptance Surve y α = 0.85; Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale α = 0.78; Socio economic Status Scale α = 0.79; Peer Influence Scale α = 0.81; and Teenage Pregnancy Scale α = 0.87). The results showed that body image (r = 0.327; p<0.05), self esteem (r = 0.376; p<0.05), socio economic status (r = 0.306; p<0.05), and peer influence (r = 0.201, p<0.05) all had a significant relationship with teenage pregnancy. A multiple regression coefficient (R = 0.484) and multiple regression adjusted (R2 = 0.234) were obtained. Also, self esteem recorded the most effective relative contribution to teenage pregnancy, followed by body image, parental socio conomic status, and peer influence, respectively. This emphasizes the necessity of broad and all encompassing strategies to stop teenage pregn ancy because it is unlikely that a single element will be adequate to deal with the problem successfully.

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