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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1420532
This article is part of the Research Topic Exploring the Interaction between Health-promoting and Health Risk Behaviors in Health, Volume II View all 8 articles

Mediating Effects of Self-esteem and Self-compassion on the Relationship between Body Dissatisfaction and Depression among Adolescents with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Provisionally accepted
Huihui Huangfu Huihui Huangfu 1Li Li Li Li 2*Wen Shuai Wen Shuai 3*
  • 1 School of Elderly Care Services and Management, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
  • 2 Institute of Healthy Yangtze River Delta, School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
  • 3 Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Body dissatisfaction significantly impacts depression among adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This relationship is compounded by various factors. Our study aims to explore the roles of self-esteem and selfcompassion in the relationship between body dissatisfaction and depression in adolescent with PCOS. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, involving 287 adolescents diagnosed with PCOS from January 2020 to December 2021. Participants completed validated questionnaires covering body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, self-compassion and depression. We utilized correlation and mediation analyses to examine the relationships and mediating effects among these variables.Results: Body dissatisfaction had a significant positive effect on depression (β=4.254, p<0.001). Conversely, self-esteem (β=-0.944, p<0.001) and self-compassion (β=-0.318, p<0.001) were negative predictors of depression. Both self-esteem (β=3.405, 95% CI=(0.151, 0.305)) and self-compassion (β=1.525, 95% CI=(0.045, 0.165)) were shown to partially mediate the relationship between body dissatisfaction and depression, explaining 37.07% and 16.61% of the total effect, respectively.This study highlights the importance of fostering self-esteem and selfcompassion among adolescents with PCOS to buffer the depressive effects of body dissatisfaction. Interventions aimed at promoting accurate and positive body perceptions, enhancing self-esteem, fostering a supportive attitude towards personal challenges, and maintaining positive emotional states are recommended to decrease the incidence of depression.

    Keywords: pcos, Body Dissatisfaction, Depression, self-esteem, self-compassion, Mediation analysis

    Received: 24 Apr 2024; Accepted: 20 Jun 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Huangfu, Li and Shuai. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Li Li, Institute of Healthy Yangtze River Delta, School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, Shanghai Municipality, China
    Wen Shuai, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai, 200092, Shanghai Municipality, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.