Longitudinal Associations of (Un)popularity with Weight Perceptions and Dieting in Adolescence

TL;DR

This study explores how popularity and unpopularity affect adolescents' weight perceptions and dieting behaviors over time.

Contribution

The study reveals how social status influences body image in specific subgroups of adolescents.

Findings

Popularity did not predict weight perception or dieting over time.

Low liking was linked to positive weight perception among popular adolescents.

Higher popularity predicted more dieting in female adolescents.

Abstract

Little is known about the unique effects of (un)popularity on body image and the characteristics influencing these effects. The goals of this study were to examine (1) the longitudinal associations of adolescents’ (un)popularity with weight perception and dieting, (2) whether (dis)liking, self-esteem, and gender moderated these associations. Participants were 1697 Dutch adolescents (Mage = 14.18 years, SD = 1.29; 51% female), from a middle-class population. Participants completed peer nominations and self-reports in three consecutive school years. Mixed-effects models showed that (un)popularity did not predict weight perception and dieting over time. Concurrently, when liking was low, popularity predicted positive weight perception. Higher popularity predicted more dieting in females. This study highlighted that adolescents’ body image varied in subgroups of social status.

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