Reciprocal relations between body satisfaction and self‐esteem: A large 13‐year prospective study of adolescents☆
Tóm tắt
Previous research has demonstrated that body satisfaction and self‐esteem are highly correlated in adolescence, but reasons are poorly understood. We tested three explanations: (i) the two constructs are actually one; (ii) the correlation is explained by a third factor; (iii) there are prospective relationships between body satisfaction and self‐esteem. A population based sample of Norwegian adolescents (n = 3251) was examined four times over a 13‐year period. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that body satisfaction and self‐esteem were separate constructs and the correlation between them was not attenuated when adjusting for 3rd variables. Autoregressive cross‐lagged analysis showed reciprocal relations between body satisfaction and self‐esteem. The prospective relationship between body satisfaction during adolescence and self‐esteem in late adolescence and emerging adulthood was stronger than at later stages.