Brief research reportA longitudinal study of body dissatisfaction and pubertal timing in an ethnically diverse adolescent sample
Introduction
Body dissatisfaction, the subjective negative evaluation of one's figure and body parts, contributes to psychological maladjustment across the lifespan (Markowitz, Friedman, & Arent, 2008) and is important to adolescent development (Markey, 2010). Puberty, with its associated physical changes (McCabe and Ricciardelli, 2009, Mitchell et al., 2012), may move youth toward or away from the physical ideal (generally thin for Western-culture girls and mesomorphic build for boys; Bearman, Martinez, Stice, & Presnell, 2006). Previous research assessing changes in body dissatisfaction across adolescence has produced inconsistent findings (Bucchianeri et al., 2013, Holson et al., 2012, Jones, 2004). However, the when (i.e., timing) and where (i.e., peer context) of these changes may occur at different ages for different youth in different contexts (e.g., Currie, Ahluwalia, Godeau, Gabhainn, Due, & Currie, 2012). In the present study, we consider individual differences in puberty in concert with the peer context change of a school transition to examine body dissatisfaction over time.
We propose a context-change hypothesis suggesting that being discrepant from peers during middle school—when puberty starts for most youth—does not necessarily mean continued discrepancy within the new high school context. Specifically, transitioning to a context with older schoolmates who are further through puberty should serve to accentuate the deviant timing of late-developing adolescents, resulting in more body dissatisfaction than their early/on-time counterparts. Because girls generally develop earlier than boys (Roenneberg et al., 2004), late-developing boys are expected to be at particular risk. And, because peer comparisons have been found to affect body dissatisfaction to a greater degree than media portrayals of women (Cash, Cash, & Butters, 1983), late-developing girls are expected to only be partially protected—if at all—by the thin ideal. At the same time, the known risks (for girls; McCabe & Ricciardelli, 2009) or benefits (for boys; Siegel, Yancey, Aneshensel, & Schuler, 1999) of early development could be mitigated because early developers are not as likely to stand out from their new schoolmates. We also expect a decrease in body dissatisfaction for youth who feel they are developing later than their peers as their physical appearance becomes concordant with peers.
Though few body image studies use diverse samples, culture may protect certain girls by providing more realistic and attainable (i.e., not thin) physical ideals (Smolak, 2004). This advantage has been most strongly supported for African-American girls (Nishina et al., 2006, Siegel et al., 1999) and may persist across development, as puberty moves them toward their cultural ideal (Paxton, Eisenberg, & Neumark-Sztainer, 2006). In contrast, Asian girls may be at risk, like White girls (Grabe & Hyde, 2006), with a historical sociocultural desire for thin women (Mukai, Crago, & Shisslak, 1994). Differences in body dissatisfaction between Latina and White girls have been mixed (Grabe and Hyde, 2006, Nishina et al., 2006, Siegel et al., 1999). For boys and men, much research finds no ethnic group differences in body dissatisfaction (e.g., Jones, Fries, & Danish, 2007), which is consistent with fewer cultural variations in ideal male body types (e.g., taller, muscular, V-shaped build).
The present study examines girls’ and boys’ body dissatisfaction across the high school years as a function of puberty (both perceived timing and physical changes) and a context change in an ethnically diverse sample. The proposed context-change hypothesis predicts that late-developing adolescents (especially boys) will have more body dissatisfaction at the beginning of high school than those who are early or on-time. However, if late maturing girls are partially protected due to congruity with the thin ideal, they may only experience dissatisfaction if they feel later than peers. Early and on-time youth are not expected to differ. Body dissatisfaction may decrease for late (actual or perceived) adolescents over time. Finally, we predict that African-Americans girls will have less body dissatisfaction than White, Latina, and Asian girls. The inclusion of Multiethnic girls (i.e., those identifying with more than one ethnicity) is exploratory, however, their exposure to multiple cultural views may allow for flexibility in body ideals, suggesting partial protection. No ethnic group differences are expected for boys.
Section snippets
Participants
Participants were 1370 adolescents (55% girls, 45% boys; 48.2% Latino/a, 20.2% African-American, 11.3% Asian/Pacific Islander, 9.6% White/Caucasian, and 9.6% multiethnic) from a larger longitudinal sample originally recruited from 11 low-income, public middle schools in the Los Angeles, CA area (Bellmore, Nishina, You, & Ma, 2012). From 2000 to 2008, 12 waves of data were collected: once per semester in Grades 6–10 and once per year in Grades 11–12 (Ns = 1086–1287 across waves). The subsample for
Girls’ Perceived Pubertal Timing Compared to Peers
The baseline coefficient (B00 = 2.98) in the left half of Table 1 indicates that White girls’ at age 14 who reported being on-time in middle school and the beginning of high school had an average body dissatisfaction score of 2.98 and girls who perceived themselves as developing earlier or later relative to peers in middle school did not differ from on-time girls. Controlling for middle school perceived timing, girls who perceived themselves later than peers at age 14 had significantly more body
Discussion
The present study provides support for a context-change hypothesis, suggesting that puberty is associated with body dissatisfaction after the transition to high school if there is a discrepancy with the new peer context. Girls who felt late compared to peers after the high school transition reported more body dissatisfaction. Their higher levels of body dissatisfaction persisted over time. These girls may feel that they do not possess ideal female body characteristics beyond the thin ideal
Acknowledgments
This manuscript is partially based on a master's thesis by the first author. We wish to thank Drs. Amanda Guyer and Kali Trzesniewski for their feedback on early versions of this manuscript. Data are drawn from projects supported by the National Science Foundation, W.T. Grant Foundation, and Haynes Foundation.
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