(Press-News.org) Contact information: Audrey Hamilton
ahamilton@apa.org
202-336-5706
American Psychological Association
Fear of being too skinny may put teen boys at risk for depression, steroid use
Steroid use more likely among depressed and bullying victims, study finds
WASHINGTON – Teenage boys who think they're too skinny when they are actually a healthy weight are at greater risk of being depressed as teens and as adults when compared to other boys, even those who think they are too heavy, according to findings published by the American Psychological Association.
Boys who inaccurately see themselves as overweight are also more likely to be depressed than boys who think they are of average weight, but their risk is not as significant as the boys who think they are very underweight, according to a study published online in the APA journal Psychology of Men & Masculinity.
Teenage boys who feel they are underweight and report being the victim of bullying are also more likely to use steroids and feel depressed than other boys their age, according to another study published in the same journal.
"These studies highlight the often underreported issue of distorted body image among adolescent boys," said Aaron Blashill, PhD, staff psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and faculty member at Harvard Medical School, who led both studies. "Teenage girls tend to internalize and strive for a thin appearance, whereas teenage boys tend to emphasize a more muscular body type. We found that some of these boys who feel they are unable to achieve that often unattainable image are suffering and may be taking drastic measures."
Blashill's research was based on two large, nationally representative samples of teenage boys in the U.S. The first sample included 2,139 boys who were about 16 years old in 1996 at the beginning of the study and were followed for 13 years.
Boys who perceived themselves as very underweight, but actually were average weight or higher, reported the highest level of depressive symptoms. These findings remained constant across the span of the study, which ended when the participants were close to 30 years old.
Researchers surveyed the participants three times about six years apart to assess depressive symptoms, body image perceptions and the participants' body mass index. To measure body image perceptions, the researchers asked the boys to rate their current weight, ranging from "very underweight" to "very overweight." They then compared those ratings with the participants' BMI.
There were 1,433 white participants, 513 black and 235 Hispanic. The rest of the sample identified themselves as Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American or "other."
In Blashill's other study, he also found boys who perceived themselves as underweight were more likely to feel depressed than their peers who were average or overweight, which may be one of the reasons they turned to steroids, he said. The data came from a 2009 nationally representative survey of 8,065 ninth- through 12th –grade boys in the U.S.
Overall, 4 percent of the participants in the second study reported ever using steroids and 3 percent reported they were very underweight. Boys who perceived themselves as underweight were more likely to be victims of bullying and report more depressive symptoms which, in turn, predicted steroid use.
Clinicians working with depressed teenage boys, particularly those who think they are underweight and/or bullied based on their appearance, should be mindful of the possibility of steroid use, Blashill suggested.
"Unfortunately, there is little evidence-based research on effective therapies for steroid use among adolescent boys," he said. "However, cognitive-behavioral therapy has proven to be effective for body image concerns and could be helpful for boys considering using or already using steroids."
###
Article: "Body Image Distortions, Weight, and Depression in Adolescent Boys: Longitudinal Trajectories into Adulthood," Aaron J. Blashill, PhD, and Sabine Wilhelm, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Psychology of Men & Masculinity, online Dec. 23, 2013.
Article: "A Dual Pathway Model of Steroid Use Among Adolescent Boys: Results from a Nationally Representative Sample," Aaron J. Blashill, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School; Psychology of Men & Masculinity, online Dec. 23, 2013.
Full texts of the articles are available from the APA Public Affairs Office at 202-336-5700.
Fear of being too skinny may put teen boys at risk for depression, steroid use
Steroid use more likely among depressed and bullying victims, study finds
2014-01-13
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
'Superlens' extends range of wireless power transfer
2014-01-11
'Superlens' extends range of wireless power transfer
Engineers accomplish the first relatively long-range wireless power transfer by 'beaming' electromagnetic fields
DURHAM, N.C. -- Inventor Nikola Tesla imagined the technology to transmit energy through thin air almost ...
Social media helps users embrace differences and provide support to one another, MU study finds
2014-01-11
Social media helps users embrace differences and provide support to one another, MU study finds
Lady Gaga enables followers to embrace their awkwardness while deepening the perceived relationship they feel they have with the celebrity
COLUMBIA, Mo. ...
Study: Autophagy predicts which cancer cells live and die when faced with anti-cancer drugs
2014-01-11
Study: Autophagy predicts which cancer cells live and die when faced with anti-cancer drugs
When a tumor is treated with an anti-cancer drug, some cells die and, unfortunately, some cells tend to live. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the ...
Text messaging boosts flu vaccine rates in pregnant women
2014-01-11
Text messaging boosts flu vaccine rates in pregnant women
January 10, 2014 --A study by researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health evaluated the impact of text messaging reminders for influenza vaccine in a low-income obstetric ...
Complementary medicine in wide use to treat children with autism, developmental delay
2014-01-11
Complementary medicine in wide use to treat children with autism, developmental delay
Study shows large carnivore numbers and range declining worldwide
2014-01-10
Study shows large carnivore numbers and range declining worldwide
MISSOULA – New research co-written by University of Montana scientists finds steep declines in the worldwide populations and habitat range of 31 large carnivore species. The analysis, ...
Harvard scientists control cells following transplantation, from the inside out
2014-01-10
Harvard scientists control cells following transplantation, from the inside out
New work by Jeffrey Karp, Ph.D., has potential to make cell therapies more functional and efficient
Harvard stem cells scientists at Brigham and Women's Hospital and MIT can now engineer ...
Indigenous groups more vulnerable in the fight against flu
2014-01-10
Indigenous groups more vulnerable in the fight against flu
Research indicated that some Indigenous people such as in Alaska and Australia displayed limited immunity response to the effects of influenza.
Published in the Journal Proceedings of the National ...
Living on islands makes animals tamer
2014-01-10
Living on islands makes animals tamer
Study confirms Darwin's observations and numerous anecdotal reports of island tameness, says UC Riverside's Theodore Garland
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Most of us have seen pictures and probably YouTube videos of "tame" animals ...
Evidence of harmful effect of bisphenol A-based plastics
2014-01-10
Evidence of harmful effect of bisphenol A-based plastics
Function and regeneration of switch proteins impaired
Bisphenol A impairs the function of proteins that are vital for growth processes in cells. This finding has been reported by researchers from the ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Corpse flowers are threatened by spotty recordkeeping
Riding the AI wave toward rapid, precise ocean simulations
Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?
Pink skies
Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research
Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered
% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?
An app can change how you see yourself at work
NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals
New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China
Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds
Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea
New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea
Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes
Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others
Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke
Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition
Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life
Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy
Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming
Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly
Alcohol makes male flies sexy
TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income
Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression
Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring
Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs
AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders
First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes
Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows
Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission
[Press-News.org] Fear of being too skinny may put teen boys at risk for depression, steroid useSteroid use more likely among depressed and bullying victims, study finds