Relatively little is known about the relation between body image satisfaction and self-esteem to academic behaviour in pre-adolescent and adolescent girls and boys. The current study is guided by three research questions. The first question is to examine how does body image satisfaction and self-esteem relate individually and collectively with academic behavior? The second question is to examine how much do the relationships between body image satisfaction, self-esteem and academic behavior differ across grades 7, 8, and 9? The third question is to examine how much do the relationships between body image satisfaction, self-esteem and academic behavior differ across genders? A correlational research design is adopted for this study. The data is analyzed using multiple regressions to examine various relations. This study analyzed secondary data gathered from 161 girls and boys from a junior high school in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada as part of the school plan for the 2011 - 2012 academic year. Self-esteem had high positive correlation to academic behavior for both girls and boys across grades 7 - 9. Other highlight was that only for grade 9; body image satisfaction had a low positive correlation to academic behaviour.

Relatively little is known about the relation between body image satisfaction and self-esteem to academic behaviour in pre-adolescent and adolescent girls and boys. The current study is guided by three research questions. The first question is to examine how does body image satisfaction and self-esteem relate individually and collectively with academic behavior? The second question is to examine how much do the relationships between body image satisfaction, self-esteem and academic behavior differ across grades 7, 8, and 9? The third question is to examine how much do the relationships between body image satisfaction, self-esteem and academic behavior differ across genders? A correlational research design is adopted for this study. The data is analyzed using multiple regressions to examine various relations. This study analyzed secondary data gathered from 161 girls and boys from a junior high school in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada as part of the school plan for the 2011 - 2012 academic year. Self-esteem had high positive correlation to academic behavior for both girls and boys across grades 7 - 9. Other highlight was that only for grade 9; body image satisfaction had a low positive correlation to academic behaviour.

The aims of the studies were to assess body image perceptions, the role of stress and other possible associated psychopathologies within a non-clinical sample. The prevalence of body image concern is increasing and is widely considered as secondary to evolving socio-cultural trends. Negative self-perceptions about body image can be manifest as measurable indicators of physiological stress, or even psychopathology. This thesis describes two quantitative studies into the role and relevance of various causative factors in the development of negative body image in cohorts of volunteers drawn from the general population of the University of Bradford in West Yorkshire, UK. In Study One, subjects (n=360) completed a self-directed questionnaire that psychometrically measured satisfaction/dissatisfaction with personal appearance, queried which external sources influenced those opinions, and correlated these with demographic information. In particular, we sought to examine how a subject's opinion about their personal appearance varied with age, gender, ethnicity, mental health, relationship status, sexual orientation and Body Mass Index (BMI). Subjective views regarding personal appearance were determined by answers given to specific body image questions that revealed a subject's day-to-day appearance concerns, all preoccupations, and the extent to which these concerns resulted in distress, all social impairment. Overall, the results demonstrated that BMI values were positively correlated with personal appearance concerns. High BMI values correlated with greater dissatisfaction with personal appearance. Self ratings of appearance values were negatively correlated with BMI scores. Subjects who gave themselves high appearance ratings were relatively unaffected by media influence with regard to their image, compared to subjects rating themselves less attractive. These latter subjects also showed higher peer pressure scores in terms of both the amount of time they compared themselves to peers, and the degree to which peer comparisons affected their self-appearance ratings. Based on responses to the body image questions specifically, the entire cohort of subjects were categorised into principal clusters: those largely unaffected by any body image concerns; and those profoundly distressed by their self assessed body image. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of these findings is that the scores for this latter (n=17) group of subjects on the body image questions revealed a degree of personal distress this is almost identical to the scores expected from those people diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Collectively, these results suggest that high BMI values in subjects negatively impact on self-appearance ratings, render subjects more prone to media messages that portray body image ideals, and elicit frequent comparisons with peers to validate self-image concerns. Furthermore, severely affected subjects with high BMI scores may show similar psychopathology to that of BDD sufferers. In Study Two, a small cohort of subjects (n=60) were given questionnaires and were interviewed to further investigate self-appearance ratings and mood/depressive traits. The body image questions used in Study One to assess image concerns and the magnitude of distress were repeated in Study Two. Mood and depressive state were measured using the validated Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI). In parallel, subjects completed the Derriford Appearance Scale 59 (DAS 59), which is a valid psychometric indication of an individual's perception of their appearance as 'normal' or 'disfigured', and used as a tool by plastic surgeons to inform decisions regarding the necessity for surgery to correct an individual's appearance. Physiological markers were recorded before and after exposure of subjects to a physical and a psychological stressor: these were saliva concentrations of cortisol and sIgA (an immune marker), blood glucose and blood pressure. The results of Study Two revealed no changes in scores for any of the physiological measures following stressors. BDI scores for most subjects fell within normal ranges, although females scored higher than males, but not at a pathological level. Those subjects with a history of mental illness or those who reported feeling a high degree of stress on a daily basis, or those who expressed greater self-appearance concerns, all had significantly elevated BDI values. Perhaps the most intriguing finding from Study Two, as in Study One, was that subjects again tended to fall within specific categories for body image concerns: those unaffected or minimally affected by body image concerns, and those (n=6) greatly and deleteriously affected by body image concerns. This subsection of subjects also scored very high on the DAS 59 for disfigurement. On the basis of these findings it would seem that body image concerns may be severe enough for some individuals for them to perceive themselves as actually being disfigured, or that the DAS 59 (a widely used assessment tool in plastic surgery), may not be entirely appropriate for assessment of an individual's need for surgery because it cannot distinguish between those genuinely disfigured and those merely expressing severe body image concerns.

Background: There is a ubiquitous societal trend to define one’s self-worth based on externalities such as looks. The visibility of idealised and homogenous, mainly white, ‘perfect’ bodies in mass media contributes to the surge in body dissatisfaction of individuals, especially young women. This is accompanied by ethical problems such as mental diseases and eating disorders. Moreover, it renders young women with a high body dissatisfaction a profitable target group for several industries. Purpose: This paper develops and tests a model on how different levels of Body Image Satisfaction impact young female’s emotional responses and their attitude towards the advertisements and the brand that uses them. It directly compares these effects for Body Positivity (BoPo) advertising (visuals of diversities of physical appearances) and traditional, idealised imagery in an experimental setup. With this, this study aims to prove that a high level of Body Image Satisfaction and thus BoPo content makes economic sense. Method: This study measures the psychological constructs Body Image Satisfaction, experiential emotional response and attitude. It draws on research on how different body types are used to profit from the effects of self-esteem advertising while linking them to research on the Body Image Satisfaction of young females. BoPo commercials are compared to traditional, idealised imagery in commercials and measured consumer reactions to both using a quantitative survey in a representative panel in Germany. Conclusion: High Body Image Satisfaction leads to a more positive experiential emotional response, a more positive attitude towards commercials, and a more positive attitude towards brands for any type of commercials. Commercials with BoPo content are highly accepted. As the exposure to BoPo content leads to a higher Body Image Satisfaction, BoPo content in mass media is ethically desirable and also economically beneficial.