Exploring the differentiated relationship between body-, eating-, and exercise-related social comparisons and depressive symptoms among adolescents

Alcaraz-Ibáñez, M., Paterna, A. and Griffiths, M.D. ORCID: 0000-0001-8880-6524, 2024. Exploring the differentiated relationship between body-, eating-, and exercise-related social comparisons and depressive symptoms among adolescents. Journal of Affective Disorders, 344, pp. 389-396. ISSN 0165-0327

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Abstract

Background: The present study examined (i) the potential differentiated relationship between three forms of social comparison previously identified as particularly relevant within the context of eating disorders (EDs) (i.e., those related to body, eating, and exercise) and depressive symptomatology among adolescents, and (ii) whether this relationship may differ according to gender and EDs risk status.

Methods: A sample comprising 689 adolescents (46.15% females) aged 12-19 years (M = 15.06, SD = 2.04) were recruited using non-probabilistic techniques from nine schools in southern Spain. Cross-sectional data derived from a self-report survey which included the variables of interest were analysed using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Results: Bootstrapped regression/moderation analysis with 5,000 resamples demonstrated two key sets of findings. Firstly, that having low self-esteem, being a girl, being at risk for ED, having social-physique anxiety, and social comparisons referring to body and exercise accounted for unique variance in depressive symptomatology. Secondly, the relationship between both eating-related and exercise-related comparisons and depressive symptomatology tended to be stronger in the group of females at risk for EDs.

Limitations: The study was mainly limited by the use of self-reported cross-sectional data.

Conclusions: Prevention and treatment efforts aimed at reducing depressive symptomatology among adolescents could benefit from incorporating content alluding to body comparison and, particularly in the case of females at risk for EDs, content alluding to eating and exercise comparisons.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of Affective Disorders
Creators:	Alcaraz-Ibáñez, M., Paterna, A. and Griffiths, M.D.
Publisher:	Elsevier BV
Date:	1 January 2024
Volume:	344
ISSN:	0165-0327
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1016/j.jad.2023.10.049 DOI 1822366 Other
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	19 Oct 2023 10:52
Last Modified:	19 Oct 2023 10:52
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/50026

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