The relationship between dieting and body image, body ideal, self-perception, and body mass index in Turkish adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: The current study examined the roles of body image, ideal body weight, self-perception, and body mass index (BMI) on the dieting behavior of Turkish adolescents. METHOD: The 531 subjects who participated in the study ranged from 15 to 17 years old and were recruited from five selected high schools in Ankara. They completed the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (SPPA), the Body Image Satisfaction Questionnaire (BISQ), and the Dieting Status Measure (DiSM). Height and weight were measured. RESULTS: Dieting adolescents received significantly lower scores than nondieters for most of the BISQ items and for the physical appearance and global self-worth subscales of the SPPA. A thinner body ideal, the physical appearance domain of self-concept, and low global self-worth were the predicting factors of frequent dieting. However, BMI and body image dissatisfaction were not predicting factors. DISCUSSION: The results indicate that a thinner body ideal, low self-worth, and low physical self-concept have more significant effects on body dissatisfaction and dieting than being actually overweight does. Furthermore, high physical self-concept scores and body satisfaction may not necessarily preclude having a thinner body ideal and, hence, dieting in girls.

[Is there any correlation between self-perception and psychopathology in adolescence?]. / Ergenlerde kendilik algisi ile psikopatoloji arasinda baginti var mi?

OBJECTIVE: In this study, the relation between self-perception and psychopathology is examined trying to answer the question of whether the self-perception profiles of the adolescents who have admitted to an outpatient unit of a psychiatry clinic are different from those of the adolescents who have not. METHOD: The study is a cross-sectional controlled study. There are two groups one of which is the group of adolescents who have admitted to the outpatient adolescent clinic of the Social Security Hospital of Ankara and the other is the control group. Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (SPPA) and SCL-90-R were administered to the groups. DSM-IV diagnoses were made by two clinicians via interviews with adolescents. The differences in the domains of SPPA between two groups were assessed via multivariate and then univariate analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the domains of SPPA, the global self-worth and the behavior in the relationships, the adolescent group who has admitted to the psychiatry clinic was found to be significantly lower than that of the adolescent group who has not.