Relationship between Low Self-Esteem and Body Weight among Adolescents

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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOW SELF-ESTEEM AND BODY WEIGHT AMONG
ADOLESCENTS
Name of Student
Course
Name of Professor
University
Date
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Relationship between Low Self-Esteem and Body Weight among Adolescents
Introduction
Research Background
Several factors are known to contribute to low self-esteem among adolescents.
According to Lowry, Sallinen, and Janicke (2007), body weight is directly related to low
self-esteem among youngsters since they tend trying to fit the ideal image of physical
perfection. Steiger et al. (2014) have established that adolescents often experience low
self-esteem due to an identity crisis that comes because of being perceived as
overweight. The authors have further established a link between having low self-esteem
and being overweight to depression among adolescents. The underlying connection
between being overweight and having low self-esteem among adolescents has been
made clear, but it is necessary to establish the magnitude of the relationship between
low self-esteem and body weight among teens.
Scope of Research
The scope of this research paper is to establish the explicit relationship between
low self-esteem and body weight among the adolescents of three high schools in
Oklahoma.
Research Objectives
The primary objective of the study is to measure the magnitude of the
relationship between self-esteem and body weight among female and male adolescents
and thus illuminate the causes of low self-esteem. Similarly, it seeks to explain why
adolescents with physical challenges, such as increased body weight, tend to have low
self-esteem. 
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Research Question and Hypothesis
The research question is:
I. What is the relationship between low self-esteem and body weight among female
and male adolescents?
The research hypotheses for this study are:
Null hypothesis: Adolescents who are overweight have lower self-esteem than
adolescents who are not overweight do.
Alternative hypothesis: Adolescents who are overweight do not have lower selfesteem than adolescents who are not overweight do.
Relevance of the Study
The findings of the study will help psychologists and counselors understand the
dynamics of body weight and self-esteem in adolescents. The findings will also help
teachers, parents, and guardians apprehend the causes of certain adolescent behaviors
that come as a result of low self-esteem. Therefore, the findings may be used as a
guide to building positive self-esteem among adolescents.
Methodology
Research Design
This research was conducted using a research approach that combined surveys
and semi-structured interviews. The researcher chose a mixed-method approach
because the scope of the research is focused, subjective, dynamic, and discoveryoriented. The qualitative interview method is best suited to gain proper insight into the
situation of the case study, whereas the quantitative dimension of the study allows
establishing the degree of correlation between self-esteem and body weight. Moreover, 
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this approach will create room for further analysis using different tools for checking the
degree of error and assumptions limits. The dependent variable is self-esteem, while
the independent variable is body weight.
Research Approach
The researcher conducted the survey in three high schools in Oklahoma. The
study sampled data on how male and female adolescents respond to body changes
with respect to weight. The researcher inquired about the experiences of 30 teenagers,
15 females and 15 males, to determine the impact of body weight on their self-esteem.
Data Collection
In order to quantify the relationship between the independent and dependent
variable, ANOVA was essential in the tabular representation of correlation analysis.
Findings and Analysis
Information about the respondents is summarized in the table below.
School Population Male participants Female participants
Oklahoma Junior 10 5 5
Oklahoma Academy 10 5 5
Oklahoma Success Center 10 5 5
Total 30 15 15
ANOVA Analysis
Analysis of variance focuses on establishing the differences between the means
of data collected from the targeted organizations. The analysis focuses on the
disintegrating the variation among and between groups. Therefore, ANOVA will attempt
to establish whether there exists a statistical equality between the mean of the two
groups of data. The first element ANOVA measures is the variations between groups. 
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This part will entail computing the difference between the mean for each of the
educational institutions and the mean for the population. It is often denoted as
 
2
x x i  .
The second element of ANOVA measures variation within the groups. This looks at the
differences between the value of the institutions and their average. The second part is
denoted as
 
2
ij i
x  x .
The subsequent sections will carry out the ANOVA. A multivariate analysis