Background: Recent research suggests a growing interest in body image among adolescents. However, like “Pro-ana”, distorted body image that threatens the health of adolescents is becoming a critical issue. Body image can be considered a crucial fa...
Background: Recent research suggests a growing interest in body image among adolescents. However, like “Pro-ana”, distorted body image that threatens the health of adolescents is becoming a critical issue. Body image can be considered a crucial factor affecting adolescent mental health. According to The Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey(KYRBS), the depression rate among adolescents was found to be higher than that of adults. Depression experienced in adolescence is a crucial mental health concern that can interfere with development. Therefore, the mental health of adolescents requires detailed attention. In addition, in Korean adolescents, the smartphone penetration rate is remarkably high. Smartphones use needs careful evaluation as a factor that influences adolescent mental health. Previous studies confirmed the effect of body image on mental health, or studied the effect or mediating effect on some variables. However, there are no studies on the moderating effect of smartphone use (time/type) on adolescent body image distortion and depression. Also, the socio-culturally idealized body type standards are set differently according to gender, so it is necessary to understand the characteristics of body image distortion according to gender.
Method: the ‘2017 The Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey(KYRBS)’, which investigated the questions on the services mainly used when using smartphones, was used. According to ‘2007 Growth Chart for Children and Adolescents’, 40,503 normal-weight adolescents who were defined as normal weight finally used for analysis. Data were analyzed according to gender, and the Rao-scott χ² test and hierarchical logistic regression analysis were performed.
Results: Result of the study, 54.7% of subjects distorted their body shape. In the case of ‘Overestimate', female students were higher than male students, and in the case of ‘Underestimate', male students were higher than female students. Result of hierarchical logistic regression analysis, there was a correlation between body image distortion (‘Underestimate’ and ‘Overestimate’) and depression in male students, and a correlation between ‘Overestimate’ and depression in female students. As a result of moderating effect of smartphone use, the odds ratio increased with increased smartphone usage time among adolescents. But there was no significant additive interaction as a result of RERI. Odds ratio increased in males ‘Underestimate', ‘Overestimate’ group, and females ‘Overestimate' group, who mainly use ‘Chatting or Messenger'. Also, the odds ratio increased in female ‘Overestimate’ who mainly using ‘Movie or Music’ and ‘SNS or Community’.
Conclusion: Mental health problems caused by smartphone overdependence and body image distortion among adolescents have become unavoidable social problems. Therefore, it is important to recognize body image distortion as a public health problem. To solve these issues, it requires active participation at home, school, and corporate levels and a holistic approach. First, the social pressure of an ‘ideal body image’ by recognizing overweight or obesity as a cosmetic problem rather than a disease should be discouraged. In addition, it is necessary to help adolescents develop a positive perception of their body through ‘Self-Body Positive Campaign’ (#Bopo). Also, to prevent depression in adolescence, it is necessary to include programs to improve body image distortion in the adolescent depression prevention intervention program operated by Wee Center. Through this study (and previous studies) showed, that the risk of depression increased with increased time spent on smartphone use.
Comprehensively considering, multi-dimensional efforts are needed to solve the problems. Developing various activities for adolescent’ social networking and entertainment can minimize smartphone use in schools. At home, parental guidance and counseling should enable adolescents to find a way to control smartphone use. If necessary, it may be helpful to set the smartphone usage time using an application. In addition, we should boost participation in R.E.S.T (problem recognition, state check, suggest alternatives, connect), a guideline for preventing smartphone overdependence. And active intervention using the ‘Internet Addiction prevention Center’ may help adolescents at high-risk for smartphone overdependence. At the corporate level, regulations and restrictions, such as self-filtering work, are necessary for areas (such as negative SNS activities(ex. #Pro-ana)) that can directly affect adolescent physical and mental health.