Factors Influencing Depression in Adolescents Focusing on the Degree of Appearance Stress

Abstract

This descriptive cross-sectional study examined the factors that affect depression in adolescents focusing on how stressed they are regarding their appearance (hereafter, degree of appearance stress). Data from 6493 adolescents from the 2020 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Survey were used. Using SPSS 25.0, a complex sample plan file was created, weighted, and analyzed. The frequency, chi-square test, independent t-test, and linear regression were used for the complex sample analysis. The results showed that among adolescents with low appearance stress, depression was significantly affected by the number of breakfast meals, weight control efforts, smoking, loneliness, subjective physical appearance, and smartphone overdependence. Among those with high appearance stress, depression was significantly affected by academic grades, weight control efforts, drinking habits, loneliness, subjective physical appearance, and smartphone overdependence. Furthermore, these factors differed according to the degree of appearance stress. Thus, while developing interventions for mitigating depression in adolescents, the degree of appearance stress should be considered, and a differentiated strategy should be used accordingly.

The relationship between appearance anxiety and depression among students in a medical university in China: a serial multiple mediation model

“…Adolescence is a time when individuals go through major physical and psychological changes as they grow up, during which adolescents pay special attention to their image and are susceptible to the influence of the mass media’s aesthetic standards for appearance and figure. If they realize that they do not meet public social standards, they are prone to appearance anxiety, which is likely to lead to further depression ( Lim & Kwon, 2023 ).…”

“…Appearance influences the formation and establishment of self-esteem in adolescence and young adulthood. Anxiety caused by appearance probably makes them negative due to a lack of confidence, which leads to a decrease in the level of self-esteem of the individual ( Lim & Kwon, 2023 ), resulting in an inability to integrate into society and to positively face the challenges of interpersonal relationships. Therefore, it is necessary to make a further study on the effect of AA on depression among medical college students in order to explore ways to reduce the rate of depression among them.…”