title: Obesity in Children and the 'Myth of Psychological Maladjustment': Self-Esteem in the Spotlight.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There are contrasting views regarding the psychological well-being of children with obesity. Responding to limitations of existing evidence, Jane Wardle in 2005 argued for a 'myth of psychological maladjustment'. This review looks again at self-esteem.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The different characterisations of self-esteem each offer value. Global self-esteem is reduced in nearly all studies of youth with obesity. Dimensional self-esteem reveals physical appearance, athletic and social competence as the most affected areas, confirmed by research that has operationalised low self-competence. Children with obesity are also more likely to be victimised by their peers, generally and for their fatness. Victims who bully others appear to preserve some aspects of self-esteem. A relatively small proportion of youth with obesity has low self-esteem, but those with severe and persistent obesity are especially compromised. Weight loss is only weakly associated with improved self-competence suggesting the value of resilience and asset approaches to improving well-being.
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds School of Medicine, Level 10, Worsley Building, Clarendon Way, Leeds, LS2 9NL, UK. a.j.hill@leeds.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hill
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D057215:Body Dysmorphic Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D001835:Body Weight; D058445:Bullying; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D010379:Peer Group; D012649:Self Concept
keywords: Adolescents; Children; Obesity; Peer relationships; Self-esteem; Victimisation