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Body Image, Self-Esteem, and Depression in Korean Adolescents

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Abstract

This study examined the association among body image, self-esteem, and body image and depression in a sample of 3658 Korean adolescents (male 53.4 %). The extant research on these relationships have been conducted primarily on samples from Western countries, where although thinness is similarly pursued findings have limited generalizability due to differences in societal context. Participants from South Korea completed assessment measures of body image, self-esteem, and depression. Hierarchical regression analyses were used across three BMI groups (underweight N = 1293, normal weight N = 1627, and overweight groups N = 486). Various group differences were found in the relationships. After controlling for covariates age, amounts of exercise and subjective perceptions of health, body image was found to have significant effects on both self-esteem and depression. Implications and future research directions based on the findings are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Research Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Education, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, 270 Imun-dong, Dongdaemun-Gu, Seoul, 130-791, South Korea

    Sukkyung You

  2. College of Liberal Arts, Anyang University, 22 Samdeok-ro 37Beon-gil, Manan-gu, Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, 430-714, South Korea

    Kyulee Shin

  3. Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Ann Y. Kim

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Correspondence to Sukkyung You.

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You, S., Shin, K. & Kim, A.Y. Body Image, Self-Esteem, and Depression in Korean Adolescents. Child Ind Res 10, 231–245 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-016-9385-z

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