title: The influence of weight on adolescent self-esteem.
abstract: Overweight children have traditionally been thought to have lower self-esteem than other children. Prospective data from the California Child Health and Development Studies were used to test this hypothesis by examination of the relationship between body mass index, self-esteem and locus of control while controlling for demographic and baseline psychosocial traits. Principle components and confirmatory factor analysis were used to derive latent constructs for self-esteem, locus of control and other psychosocial factors. A covariance structure model was developed using the results of the confirmatory factor analysis. In this model, adolescent self-esteem, locus of control and body mass index were not related. These findings from prospective data in a non-clinical population suggest that although some subgroups of obese children may be vulnerable for decreased self-esteem, this does not appear to be a significant problem in the general population.
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia 29208.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rumpel
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010553:Personality Development; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012649:Self Concept