Obese adolescents : the effects of family functioning and self-esteem on depression

Research shows that the association between depression and obesity may be strongest among the most obese individuals. Appearance is a central evaluative dimension for females in Western culture, therefore body dissatisfaction can contribute directly to depression. Adolescents and females are at greater risk for self-esteem problems because body image is an important component of their self-esteem. The present study will add to the existing literature on adolescent obesity by examining the associations between family functioning, self-esteem levels, and depression in a self-selected sample of female adolescents who attended a weight-loss program. More specifically, this study will investigate how high and low levels of self-esteem and family functioning affect depression levels. Reasons for such an investigation are to increase the awareness of the effects and causes of depression levels among obese children and adolescents. A total of 45 obese adolescents with a mean age of 13.32 years participated in the initial evaluations (baseline measures). Fifty-three percent of the participants were Caucasian, 22% were Hispanic, 20% were African American, and 4% were multi-racial. The mean BMI was 34.04 kg, and ranged from 25.80 to 56.17. A multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine a relationship between body image and depressive symptoms and between self-esteem and depressive symptoms. The analysis produced a significant relationship between self-esteem and depressive symptoms, t(39) = -7.20, p .001 and between body image and depressive symptoms, t(39) = 2.52, p < .02. The overall model was also significant F (2,39) = 47.16, p < .001 in accounting for 71% of the total variance. These results indicate that as predicted, when there is an increase in self-esteem levels, there is a decrease in depressive symptoms. There was also a positive relationship between body image level and severity of depressive symptoms. In order to further examine the relationship between family functioning and level of depressive symptoms, a multiple regression was conducted, which included five subscales of the SFI. No significant relationship was found between family functioning and depressive symptoms