Body Image, Self-Esteem, and Depression in Korean Adolescents

This study examined the association among body image, self-esteem, and body image and depression in a sample of 3658 Korean adolescents (male 53.4 %). The extant research on these relationships have been conducted primarily on samples from Western countries, where although thinness is similarly pursued findings have limited generalizability due to differences in societal context. Participants from South Korea completed assessment measures of body image, self-esteem, and depression. Hierarchical regression analyses were used across three BMI groups (underweight N = 1293, normal weight N = 1627, and overweight groups N = 486). Various group differences were found in the relationships. After controlling for covariates age, amounts of exercise and subjective perceptions of health, body image was found to have significant effects on both self-esteem and depression. Implications and future research directions based on the findings are discussed.