By Carol Church, Writer, Family Album
Reviewed by Suzanna Smith, PhD, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida
When it comes to teens and problems with body image, we tend to think mostly of girls. What with peer pressure toward thinness and a relentless barrage of airbrushed media images of perfect models, it can be tough for young women to feel good about themselves.
But it isn’t just girls who suffer from body image problems. Teen boys can and do fall prey to body worries, though their concerns tend to be somewhat different, focusing more on a desire to be muscular and a fear of being too thin. In a recent study based on a well-known, nationally representative data set of U.S. adolescents, researchers followed more than 2000 boys and men beginning at age 16 through age 29. Researchers tracked actual weights and the youths’ own perceptions of their weight, as well as symptoms of depression the youth experienced.
The researchers found that boys and young men who correctly stated that they were average weight, overweight, or even obese reported relatively few symptoms of depression. However, when boys and men were of average weight, but thought they were either overweight or underweight, they were more likely to report depression symptoms. This effect was strongest for males who incorrectly believed themselves to be very underweight, and for 16-year-olds (the youngest age group). Youths who actually were underweight also were more depressed.
These symptoms of depression continued over time–in fact, for the entire 13 years of the study. These findings highlight the importance of healthy body image for teens, who are already vulnerable to depression due to their age.
Today’s parents definitely need be aware that it’s not just girls who worry about their bodies. Their teen sons may also be striving to live up to unrealistic ideals of masculinity. Some may suffer from body image distortion, meaning that they believe their bodies to be thinner or heavier than they actually are, and from depression.
It’s important to talk to teens of both genders about harmful media pressure and normal body shape and weight for their age. Point out, too, that the photos and images they see online and in the media have been digitally altered and don’t represent reality. And don’t forget to be a good role model yourself—don’t talk negatively about your own body or others’ physical appearance in front of your children. Boys also need to know that abusing steroids, which some boys and men do to gain muscle, is illegal and dangerous, and can even kill. Speak to your pediatrician if you have serious concerns about your son’s body image.
(Photo credit: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall! by jamiecat. CC BY 2.0. Cropped.)
Further Reading
Boys and Body Image Tips–from Common Sense Media
Encouraging a Healthy Body Image–from KidsHealth
References:
Blashill, A. J., & Wilhelm, S. (2013). Body Image Distortions, Weight, and Depression in Adolescent Boys: Longitudinal Trajectories Into Adulthood. Psychology of Men and Masculinity. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0034618
0
