Coping in Children and Adolescents with Obesity: The Costs and Benefits of Realistic versus Unrealistic Weight Evaluations

摘要

The study analysed differences in coping strategies between obese and non-obese children and adolescents (age: 8-14 years) in response to a social stressor. Physicians' diagnoses of obesity and self-reports on height and weight as well as gender and age were considered. A sample of 757 participants responded to an established German coping questionnaire. In addition to general coping strategies, two more potentially weight-related coping strategies were assessed. Adolescent obese girls who reported height and weight realistically showed particularly little social support-seeking behavior. Media use in general increased with age, but was especially high for Idolescent obese boys who evaluated themselves as obese. Finally, girls in general and obese children and adolescents who evaluated themselves as overweight or obese showed higher stress-related eating. With regard to coping it seems to be a disadvantage for obese children and adolescents to see themselves as obese. In contrast, obese children and adolescents who have unrealistically positive self-evaluations of their weight report coping strategies similar to those reported by normal weight children and adolescents. It is assumed that positive self-evaluations of body weight prevent especially obese adolescents from inactivity and social isolation. Findings are relevant for the design of interventions to treat obesity.