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Teen boys are not immune to weight and the body issues. In fact, some recently published studies found that teenage males who considered themselves too thin were in a greater risk to be depressed as teens and adults when compared with their peers-even people who considered themselves overweight.
Each from the studies’ findings was published within the American Psychological Association’s journal Psychology in men & Masculinity. One study discovered that boys who perceive themselves as overweight but actually are not, may be depressed than teen boys who think they’re average weight. However, the danger for depression for these teens is much less than teen boys who see themselves as too thin.
The second study found that teen boys who feel they’re underweight and reported being bullying victims were also more likely to use steroids and feel depressed than other boys their age.
“Teenage girls tend to internalize and shoot for a thin appearance, whereas teenage boys have a tendency to emphasize a more muscular physique type,” said author and co-author from the studies Aaron Blashill inside a statement. “We found that some of these boys who feel they are not able to achieve that often unattainable image are suffering and may be taking drastic measures,” said Blashill, staff psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and faculty person in Harvard School of medicine in Boston.
Research took it’s origin from two large representative samples of U.S. teen boys. The very first sample included more than 2,000 boys at or near the chronilogical age of 16 who have been followed for 13 years. Teen boys who have been actually average weight or heavier but perceived themselves as very underweight reported the greatest degree of depressive symptoms.
The second sample included more than 8,000 U.S. ninth- and twelfth-grade boys surveyed during twelve months. Boys who perceived themselves as underweight were more prone to be bullied and reported more symptoms of depression, which in turn predicted steroid use.
“Unfortunately, there is little evidence-based research on effective therapies for steroid use among adolescent boys,” Blashill said. “However, cognitive-behavioral therapy has shown to work for body image concerns and could be ideal for boys considering using or already using steroids.”
