Is Friendship Network Weight Status Associated with One's Own Psychological Well-being? It Depends on One's Own Weight Status.
Drawing on multiple theoretical perspectives (e.g., social comparison theory, reward theory, evolutionary theory), the present research examined the relations of self and friendship network weight status to body satisfaction, self-esteem, and depression. A diverse, population-based sample of adolescents completed measures of well-being and were measured for height and weight. Boys had greater self-esteem if their male friendship networks' weight status mismatched, versus matched, their own weight status (d= .23). Conversely, boys had greater body satisfaction if their female friendship networks' weight status matched, versus mismatched, their own weight status (d= .18). For girls, the relations of male and female friendship networks' weight status with well-being did not vary by one's own weight status. Evolutionary theory appears to best explain the observed patter of results, and clinicians may want to consider friends' weight status when dealing with adolescents' body satisfaction issues.
Department of Psychology, University of North Florida, 1 UNF Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32224.
Paul T
PT
Fuglestad
Division of Biostatistics, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Drive Unit 48, New York, NY 10032.
Melanie M
MM
Wall
Precision Health Economics LLC, 11100 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90025.
Jin Joo
JJ
Shim
Division of Adolescent Health and Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, 717 Delaware Street SE, 3rd Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55414.
Marla E
ME
Eisenberg
Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 S 2nd Street, suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55454.
Dianne
D
Neumark-Sztainer
body mass index; peer influence; psychological well-being