Poster #217 - Weight-Related Self-Esteem: Relations with Social and Academic Functioning

• In Event: 3-106 - Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: PS 11 Section - Social, Emotional, Personality

Integrative Statement

Negative body image is common among adolescents, but problematic. Negative body image regarding one’s weight, for instance, is associated with being a victim of bullying (Reulbach, et al., 2013), and negative body image has been associated with academic dysfunction (Pesa, et al., 2000). Therefore, children who display negative body images will be more likely to suffer lowered academic outcomes. Many studies concerning weight related self-esteem and adolescent outcomes are also centered only on girls. Thus, in order to support healthy developmental outcomes for all youth (boys and girls), it is important to identify the relation between body image and indicators of social and academic functioning at school, (such as victimization by peers, academic motivation and engagement, and academic ability beliefs) for both boys and girls.
The purpose of this study is to explore how weight related self-esteem impacts academic outcomes for boys and girls. Specifically we focus on academic motivation, school liking, and academic ability beliefs. It was hypothesized that weight related self-esteem would be negatively associated with peer victimization for both sexes, but that there would be gender differences in the relation between weight related self-esteem and academic outcomes, with relations for girls being more positive.
Participants were 237 6th grade students (54% female) at a middle school in the Southwestern United States. Students self-reported weight-related self-esteem (Mendelson, et. al, 1996; α=.65) and social (victimization; Fenzel, 1989: α=.77) and academic (academic motivation, school liking, math and writing ability belief; Csikszentmihalyi & Larson, 1987, Ladd, et. al, 2000, Wigfield & Eccles, 2000; αs<=.79) variables. Scale items were rated on a 5 point scale, with higher scores indicating greater endorsement.
We first compared the frequencies of weight related self-esteem between girls and boys. There were no significant gender differences in weight related self-esteem. We then ran bivariate correlation analyses between weight related self-esteem and the social and academic variables, splitting the sample by gender and running separate correlations for boys and girls. For boys and girls, weight related self-esteem was negatively related to victimization, such that greater body image was associated with lower victimization. Further, for girls but not boys, weight related self-esteem was positively related to academic motivation. Thus, the findings suggest that body image is important to social and academic functioning, especially for girls, making it important to ensure that adolescents develop a healthy body image.
We view this as the first step in identifying how weight related self-esteem impacts academic outcomes for boys and girls. The longer-term goal for this work is to test a mediational model to determine if the impact of weight related self-esteem on diminished academic outcomes may work through negative peer experiences. Discussions will focus on the implications of the current associations, as well as future directions for this line of research.

Authors

• Aubrey Hoffer, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author

• Dawn DeLay, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Laura D. Hanish, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author