Body Image Dissatisfaction, Depression and Anxiety in a Sample of College Students

Body dissatisfaction is a common and important issue, especially for college students. It can lead to a number of negative outcomes. However, existing researches still lack attention to cultural background differences, gender differences and grade differences in body image dissatisfaction and related depression and anxiety among college students.

This study aimed to examine cultural, gender, and grade level differences in body dissatisfaction with depression and anxiety in a population of college students in China.

This study was conducted with students from a college in southern China. Three hundred twenty-nine questionnaires were administered through a random sampling method, and 150 students (67 male and 83 female) with body image dissatisfaction were finally screened. Data were analyzed using Spearman's correlation coefficient, regression analysis, Mann-Whitney U test, and homogeneity of variance test.

Findings showed that body satisfaction was negatively correlated with depression and anxiety, and predictive of depression and anxiety, with no gender differences among Chinese college students. However, regarding grade level differences, body image dissatisfaction showed a significant difference in freshman and senior years.

The relationship between body image dissatisfaction and depression and anxiety is universal in the Chinese cultural context. Future research and college mental health education are recommended to focus on gender and grade level differences in body image dissatisfaction.