The Associations Between Adolescents’ BMI, Body Image and Ego-Identity: Moderated Mediating Effect of Depression
AUTHOR : 홍예지, 박하연
INFORMATION : page. 59~71 / 2025 Vol.32 No.1
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study is to explore the associations between adolescents’ body mass index (BMI), body image and ego-identity, and to investigate the moderated mediating effect of depression on this association. To achieve these goals, a total of 1,301 adolescents from the 14th wave of the Panel Study on Korean Children were used. Preliminary analyses were performed using descriptive statistics and correlation analyses. Furthermore, mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation effects were examined. The findings are summarized as follows. First, the complete mediating effect of adolescents’ body image on the association between BMI and ego-identity was significant. Second, adolescents’ depression significantly moderated the effect of BMI on body image. Third, adolescents’ depression significantly moderated the effect of body image on ego-identity. Fourth, there was a significant moderated mediation effect of depression on the association in which adolescents’ BMI affected ego-identity mediated by body image. Based on the findings, implications and suggestions for future study are discussed.