Published online August 31, 2005
PEDIATRICS Vol. 116 No. 3 September 2005, pp. e389-e392 (doi:10.1542/10.1542/peds.2005-0170)
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sjöberg, R. L.
Right arrow Articles by Leppert, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Sjöberg, R. L.
Right arrow Articles by Leppert, J.
Related Collections
Right arrow Nutrition & Metabolism
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

ELECTRONIC ARTICLE

Obesity, Shame, and Depression in School-Aged Children: A Population-Based Study

Rickard L. Sjöberg, MD, PhD, Kent W. Nilsson, BA and Jerzy Leppert, MD, PhD

Center for Clinical Research, Central Hospital of Västerås, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

Objectives. To investigate whether there is an association between adolescent obesity and depression in a nonclinical population and whether psychosocial and economic status and subjective experiences of shame (defined as experiences of being degraded or ridiculed by others) may account for such an association.

Method.We examined associations between self-reported body mass index (BMI) and depression, controlling for gender, shame, parental employment, parental separation, and economy. The study was performed on a sample of 4703 adolescents (71% of the target population of 15- and 17-year-old students in 1 Swedish County) who answered the Survey of Adolescent Life in Vestmanland 2004.

Results.Obesity was significantly related to depression and depressive symptoms among 15- and 17-year-olds. Obesity was also significantly related to experiences of shame. All significant association between BMI grouping and depression according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition disappeared when shaming experiences, parental employment, and parental separation were controlled for. Adolescents who reported many experiences of shame had an increased risk (odds ratio: 11.3; confidence interval: 8.3–14.9) for being depressed.

Conclusions.There is a significant statistical association between adolescent obesity and depression. Effects of experiences of shame, parental separation, and parental employment explain this association. These results suggest that clinical treatment of obesity may sometimes not just be a matter of diet and exercise but also of dealing with issues of shame and social isolation.

Key Words: depression • obesity • adolescent depression • population-based studies • psychological impact

Abbreviations: SALVe, Survey of Adolescent Life in Vestmanland • DSRS, Depression Self-Rating Scales • DSM-IV, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition

Accepted Mar 29, 2005.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Arch Pediatr Adolesc MedHome page
E. T. Liem, P. J. J. Sauer, A. J. Oldehinkel, and R. P. Stolk
Association Between Depressive Symptoms in Childhood and Adolescence and Overweight in Later Life: Review of the Recent Literature
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, October 1, 2008; 162(10): 981 - 988.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J Pediatr PsycholHome page
K. W. Lowry, B. J. Sallinen, and D. M. Janicke
The Effects of Weight Management Programs on Self-Esteem in Pediatric Overweight Populations
J. Pediatr. Psychol., November 1, 2007; 32(10): 1179 - 1195.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PediatricsHome page
J. Franklin, G. Denyer, K. S. Steinbeck, I. D. Caterson, and A. J. Hill
Obesity and Risk of Low Self-esteem: A Statewide Survey of Australian Children
Pediatrics, December 1, 2006; 118(6): 2481 - 2487.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]