THE MEDIATING ROLE OF SLEEPING PROBLEMS, BURNOUT SYNDROME, STRESS, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AND SELF-EFFICACY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTITUDES TOWARDS APPEARANCE AND BODY DISSATISFACTION AMONG ROMANIAN YOUNG PEOPLE
Abstract
The aim of the study was to evaluate the presence of anxiety, depression, burnout, and dissatisfaction with body image among young people in Romania. Materials and methods: A total of 432 respondents aged 18-30 were included in the research, and several instruments were used: SES-SQ evaluated the socioeconomic level; DASS 21 for the severity of central symptoms in the sphere of depression, anxiety, and stress; the BSQ items assessed body dissatisfaction and concern over body shape; the GLQ questionnaire identified scores related to physical activity, cognitive activities, social activities, other leisure activities, and other behaviors that significantly influence health; and the SATAQ-4 assessed socio-cultural attitudes towards appearance by measuring the pressure from peers, family, and the media to attain the ideal appearance, internalization of the thin/low body fat and internalization of the muscular or athletic body image. The statistical analyses were performed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows, version 24 (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Sex, the presence of a chronic disease, marital and socioeconomic status was found to be important in depression, anxiety and satisfaction with the body image. Age was found to be related to some of the variables: the older the respondent was, the lower the levels of stress, depression or anxiety. Additionally, age correlates negatively with burnout and sleeping problems, in the sense that as one ages, burnout levels decrease, and sleep disturbances become less prevalent. Negative correlations were also identified between age and the pressure felt from the media. Young people with chronic diseases had a statistically significantly higher level of internalization of thin/low body fat. Conclusions: The results showcased a significant correlation between factors such as age, gender, marital and socio-economic status and the impact of stress, depression, anxiety on the perception of body image and related levels of dissatisfaction.
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