Relationship Between Body Dissatisfaction, Depression and Anxiety Among Young Adults

In the light of Self-Discrepancy Theory (SDT) and prevalence of body dissatisfaction in the Pakistani culture, the current correlational survey-based research design was aimed to explore the relationship between body dissatisfaction, depression, and anxiety among adult males and females. The hypotheses of the study were: (a) there will be a significant relationship between body dissatisfaction, anxiety and depression (b) there will be a significant difference in the level of body dissatisfaction between male and female adults. For this purpose, 343 unmarried young adults (Male n=168 & Female n=175), age ranging from 16-30 years (M=22.07, SD=3.07) were recruited. The Body Dissatisfaction Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale were administered on the participants. The results revealed a significant positive correlation (p < .01) between body dissatisfaction depression (r=0.27) and anxiety (r=0.32) however, the relationship with depression was weak while the moderate relationship was found with anxiety. Additionally, anxiety was found to be a positive predictor of body dissatisfaction. There was further a significant difference (p < .01) exhibited in the level of body dissatisfaction in males and females, where females had a higher level of body dissatisfaction as compared to males. Moreover, a significant difference (p<.01) which signifies that females were more depressed than males. The current research has important implications for training programs, counseling, and psychotherapy.