Body dissatisfaction and associated factors among Brazilian adolescents: A longitudinal study

- Societal influence is the main factor of influence on body dissatisfaction.
- Biological and psychological factors are also predictors of body dissatisfaction.
- Body dissatisfaction is the main predictor of symptoms of eating disorders.

We conducted a longitudinal investigation of body dissatisfaction in adolescent boys and girls, in order to evaluate the influence of biological, psychological, and sociocultural predictors for body dissatisfaction, and its association with eating disorder symptoms. Validated self-administered scales were selected, thereby assessing the various aspects of body image, symptoms of eating disorders, depression, and self-esteem. Four hundred and ninety-eight adolescents (236 girls) participated in the study. Most of the evaluated outcomes remained stable for over a year. Overall, results pointed to sociocultural influence, as evaluated by SATAQ-3, as the main influencing factor on body dissatisfaction in both boys and girls, with less drastic effects seen for both biological and psychological variables. Body dissatisfaction also predicted symptoms of eating disorders. These results produce longitudinal evidence of the importance of sociocultural influence on body image among Brazilian boys and girls.