A Longitudinal Examination of Gender Differences in Body-Image Dissatisfaction and Suicidal Ideation in Early and Middle Adolescence

Dong-Sik Kim, Seoul National University

Using the Korea Youth Panel Survey that comprises two longitudinal data sets of Korean 2589 early adolescents (a two-year follow-up, Time 2) and 2866 mid-adolescents (a three-year follow-up, Time 2), this study was to examined the mediating effect of body image dissatisfaction at Time 1 on the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and suicidal ideation at Time 2 and to identify the dose-response relationship between body image dissatisfaction and suicidal ideation during Time 1 through Time 2, controlling for conventional suicide-related characteristics, including suicidal ideation at Time 1. I found that body image dissatisfaction at Time 1 partially functioned as a mediator between later body image dissatisfaction and suicidal ideation at Time 2, except for early male adolescents. The more they experienced negative body image during Time 1 through Time 2, the more likely they were to think about suicide, even controlling for frequency of suicidal ideation before Time 2.