Illness stigma, body image dissatisfaction, thwarted belongingness, and depressive symptoms in youth with inflammatory bowel disease
Abstract
Introduction: Elevated depressive symptoms are observed in youth with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and have been linked to perceived illness stigma and feelings of social isolation. One potential variable related to stigma that has received minimal attention in the pediatric IBD literature is body image dissatisfaction. Due to the stigmatizing nature of IBD, youth may feel self-conscious about their body image, which contributes to decreased feelings of social belongingness and ultimately depressive symptoms. The current study tested an illness stigma→ body image dissatisfaction→ thwarted belongingness→ depressive symptoms serial mediation model, in which IBD stigma was hypothesized to indirectly influence youth depressive symptoms through the sequential effects of stigma on body image dissatisfaction and thwarted social belongingness. Methods: Youth with IBD (N= 75) between 10-18 years-old were recruited from a pediatric gastroenterology clinic and completed psychosocial measures. Disease severity was assessed by physician global assessment. Current medications and body mass index (BMI) data were collected. Results: Analyses revealed significant direct effects among the modeled variables and a significant serial indirect path for illness stigma→ body image dissatisfaction→ thwarted belongingness→ depressive symptoms (effect = 0.81, 95% CI = .15 to 1.78), controlling for gender, BMI, and prednisone medication. Conclusions: Youth who perceive greater IBD stigma are more likely to experience increased body image dissatisfaction due to their IBD, which may engender feelings of social estrangement, and ultimately elevated depressive symptoms. Both stigma and body image dissatisfaction should be assessed and addressed in a multidisciplinary fashion by medical providers and mental health professionals.
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- OSU Dissertations [11222]