Swedish women´s self-esteem, body dissatisfaction and health

Abstract: Self-reported mental health problems have increased dramatically among young female high school (Swedish: gymnasium) and university students in Sweden since the 1990’s. The reasons for this increase are mostly unknown but self-esteem and body image might be important factors behind this problem. The aim of this study was to test whether self-esteem and body dissatisfaction predict health. All correlation directions were in accordance with previous studies on the subject. There was no age group difference in levels of self-esteem, body dissatisfaction or health among the women. Multiple regression analysis revealed that global self-esteem was the strongest single predictor of health. These results give support for the importance of global self-esteem for subjective health. This should be considered in future studies and in the battle against the development of depression, anxiety and eating disorders among women.