Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Body Image and Self-Esteem Across Age and Gender: A Short-Term Longitudinal Study

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between body image and self-esteem across time and age for men and women. Participants were 150 men and 239 women aged between 20 and 86 years (M = 59.73), recruited from the general population in Australia. They completed a questionnaire assessing self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, body importance, and a range of other domains of life satisfaction at baseline and 2 years later. Cross-sectionally, we found that higher self-esteem was associated with lower body dissatisfaction, but there was no consistent relationship between these variables across time for age and gender. Women were more dissatisfied with their bodies than men; yet, men placed greater importance on their appearance than women, and also reported high levels of body dissatisfaction.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andres, R. (1989). Does the ‘best’ body weight change with age? In A. J. Stunkard & A. Baum (Eds.), Perspectives in behavioural medicine: Eating, sleeping and sex (pp. 99–107). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Australian Institute of Health & Welfare. (2007). Young Australians: Their health and wellbeing. Canberra: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bamberger, M. (1988, April 20). Performance enhancers. Sports Illustrated, 59–65.

  • Chang, V. W., & Christakis, N. A. (2003). Self-perception of weight appropriateness in the United States. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 24, 332–339. doi:10.1016/S0749-3797(03)00020-5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, H., & Jackson, T. (2008). Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of eating disorder endorsements among adolescents and young adults from China. European Eating Disorders Review, 16, 375–385. doi:10.1002/erv.837.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, P. J., & Fairburn, C. G. (1993). Confusion over the core psychopathology of bulimia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 13, 385–389. doi:10.1002/1098-108X(199305)13:4<385::AID-EAT2260130406>3.0.CO;2-W.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cottle, M. (1988, May). Turning boys into girls. The Washington Monthly, 32–37.

  • Cummins, R. A., Eckersley, R., Lo, S. K., Okerstrom, E., Hunter, B., & Davern, M. (2003). Australian Unity Wellbeing Index: Cumulative psychometric record. Retrieved from Australian Centre on Quality of Life website: http://www.deakin.edu.au/research/acqol/instruments/wellbeing_index.htm

  • Darby, A., Hay, P., Mond, J., Rodgers, B., & Owen, C. (2007). Disordered eating behaviours and cognitions in young women with obesity: Relationship with psychological status. International Journal of Obesity, 31, 876–882. doi:10.1038/sj.ijo.0803501.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, K. (2009). New advisory group to tackle negative body image [media release]. Retrieved from: http://www.deewr.gov.au/Ministers/Ellis/Media/Releases/Pages/Article_090304_121922.aspx

  • Fawkner, H. J., & McMurray, N. E. (2002). Body image in men: Self reported thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in response to media images. International Journal of Men’s Health, 1, 137–150. doi:10.3149/jmh.0102.137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forbes, G. B., Adams-Curtis, L. E., Rade, B., & Jaberg, P. (2001). Body dissatisfaction in women and men: The role of gender-typing and self-esteem. Sex Roles, 44, 461–484. doi:10.1023/A:1011982112899.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fouts, G., & Burggraf, K. (2000). Television situation comedies: Female weight, male negative comments and audience reactions. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 42, 925–932. doi:10.1023/A:1007054618340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, B. L., & Roberts, T. (1997). Objectification theory: Toward understanding women’s lived experiences and mental health risks. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 173–206. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.1997.tb00108.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grogan, S. (2008). Body image. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harter, S. (1999). The construction of the self. A development perspective. New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heatherton, T. F., Mahamedi, F., Striepe, M., Field, A. E., & Keel, P. (1997). A 10-year longitudinal study of body weight, dieting, and eating disorder symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 106, 117–125. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.106.1.117.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • International Wellbeing Group. (2006). Personal Wellbeing Index. Retrieved from Australian Centre on Quality of Life website: http://www.deakin.edu.au/research/acqol/instruments/wellbeing_index.htm

  • Iqbal, N., Shahnawaz, M. G., & Alam, A. (2006). Educational and gender differences in body image and depression among students. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 32, 365–368.

    Google Scholar 

  • Livingstone, S. (1996). On the continuing problems of media effects. In J. Currant & M. Gurevitch (Eds.), Mass media and society (pp. 305–324). London: Arnold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martins, M., Tiggemann, M., & Kirkbridge, A. (2007). Those speedos become them: The role of self-objectification in gay and heterosexual men’s body image. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 33, 634–647. doi:10.1177/0146167206297403.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Masheb, R. M., Grilo, C. M., Burke-Martindale, C. H., & Rothschild, B. S. (2006). Evaluating oneself by shape and weight is not the same as being dissatisfied about shape and weight: A longitudinal examination in severely obese gastric bypass patients. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 39, 712–720. doi:10.1002/eat.20311.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCabe, M. P., & Ricciardelli, L. A. (2004a). Body image dissatisfaction among males across the lifespan: A review of past literature. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 56, 675–685. doi:10.1016/S0022-3999(03)00129-6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCabe, M. P., & Ricciardelli, L. A. (2004b). A longitudinal study of pubertal timing and extreme body change behaviors among adolescent boys and girls. Adolescence, 39, 145–166.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Morry, M. M., & Staska, S. L. (2001). Magazine exposure: Internalization, self-objectification, eating attitudes, and body satisfaction in male and female university students. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 33, 269–279. doi:10.1037/h0087148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noll, S. M., & Fredrickson, B. L. (1998). A meditational model linking self-objectification, body shame, and disordered eating. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 22, 623–636. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.1998.tb00181.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parnot, L., Rousseau, A., Benazet, M., Faure, B., Lenhoret, E., Sanchez, A., et al. (2006). Comparaison du vécu corporel en fonction du genre chez l’adolescent et le jeune adulte (Comparison of body dissatisfaction as function of gender in the adolescent and young adult). Journal de Thérapie Comportementale et Cognitive, 16(2), 45–48. doi:10.1016/S1155-1704(06)70197-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paxton, S. J., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Hannan, P. J., & Eisenberg, M. E. (2006). Body dissatisfaction prospectively predicts depressive mood and low self-esteem in adolescent girls and boys. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 35, 539–549. doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp3504_5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, B. M., & Woolfenden, S. (2002). Interventions for preventing eating disorders in children and adolescents. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD002891. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD002891.

  • Preacher, K. J., Curran, P. J., & Bauer, D. J. (2006). Computational tools for probing interaction effects in multiple linear regression, multilevel modelling and latent curve analysis. Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, 31, 437–448. doi:10.3102/10769986031004437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ricciardelli, L. A., & McCabe, M. P. (2002). Psychometric evaluation of the Body Change Inventory: An assessment instrument for adolescent boys and girls. Eating Behaviors, 3, 45–49. doi:10.1016/S1471-0153(01)00044-7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ricciardelli, L. A., & McCabe, M. P. (2003). A longitudinal analysis of the role of psychosocial factors in predicting body change strategies among adolescent boys. Sex Roles, 45, 349–360. doi:10.1023/A:1022942614727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M. (1986). Self-concept from middle childhood through adolescence. In J. Suls (Ed.), Psychological perspectives on the self (Vol. 3, pp. 107–136). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roxon, N. (2008). Assisting people with eating disorders [media release]. Retrieved from http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/mr-yr08-nr-nr135.htm?OpenDocument&yr=2008&mth=10

  • Shrout, P. E., & Bolger, N. (2002). Mediation in experimental and nonexperimental studies: new procedures and recommendations. Psychological Methods, 7, 422–445. doi:10.1037/1082-989X.7.4.422.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stice, E. (2002). Risk and maintenance factors for eating pathology: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 825–848. doi:10.1037//0033-2909.128.5.825.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick & Fidell. (2007). Using multivariate statistics. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, J. K., & Cafri, G. (2007). The muscular ideal. Washington DC: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/11581-000.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tiggemann, M. (2004). Body image across the adult life span: Stability and change. Body Image, 1, 29–41. doi:10.1016/S1740-1445(03)00002-0.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tiggemann, M. (2005). Body dissatisfaction and adolescent self-esteem: Prospective findings. Body Image, 2, 129–135. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2005.03.006.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tiggemann, M., & Pennington, B. (1990). The development of gender differences in body size dissatisfaction. Australian Psychologist, 25, 306–313. doi:10.1080/00050069008260025.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tiggemann, M., & Stevens, C. (1999). Weight concern across the life-span: Relationship to self-esteem and feminist identity. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 26, 103–106. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1098-108X(199907)26:1<103::AID-EAT14>3.0.CO;2-0.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tiggemann, M., & Lynch, J. E. (2001). Body image across the life span in adult women: The role of self-objectification. Developmental Psychology, 37, 243–253. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.37.2.243.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tiggemann, M., & Kuring, J. K. (2004). The role of body objectification in disordered eating and depressed mood. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 43, 299–311.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Twisk, J. W. R. (2003). Applied longitudinal data analysis for epidemiology: A practical guide. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Hoeken, D., Seidell, J., & Hoek, H. W. (2005). Epidemiology. In J. Treasure, U. Schmidt, & E. van Furth (Eds.), The essential handbook of eating disorders (pp. 11–34). West Sussex: Wiley.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Webster, J., & Tiggemann, M. (2003). The relationship between women’s body satisfaction and self-image across the life span: The role of cognitive control. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 164, 241–252. doi:10.1080/00221320309597980.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wiederman, M. W., & Pryor, T. L. (2000). Body dissatisfaction, bulimia, and depression among women: The mediating role of drive for thinness. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 27, 90–95.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, S. (1997). Age and gender in relation to body attitudes: Is there a double standard of aging? Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 549–565. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.1997.tb00130.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia

    David Mellor, Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Marita P. McCabe & Lina A. Ricciardelli

  2. School of Psychology, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria, 3125, Australia

    David Mellor

Authors
  1. David Mellor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Marita P. McCabe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lina A. Ricciardelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Mellor.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mellor, D., Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M., McCabe, M.P. et al. Body Image and Self-Esteem Across Age and Gender: A Short-Term Longitudinal Study. Sex Roles 63, 672–681 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-010-9813-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-010-9813-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation