The relationship between body weight, body image, self esteem and relationship quality

The aim of the current study was to examine the relationships between body weight, body image, self-esteem and relationship quality in a community sample of obese, overweight and healthy weight individuals. It was hypothesised that as body mass index increased individuals would report greater body image dissatisfaction, experience lower self-esteem and perceive poorer relationship quality. A further prediction was self-esteem would mediate the relationship between body image and relationship quality. The sample consisted of 214 subjects, 162 were female and 52 were male, ages ranged from 18 to 72 years (M = 36.22 years, SD = 10.89 years). The participants anonymously completed a self-report questionnaire. The results supported the hypotheses, demonstrating a significant difference in the trends. This was significantly different for obese and healthy weight individuals, but not for overweight individuals. Future research using a larger sample size may assist in determining a difference. In addition, self-esteem mediated the relationship between body image and relationship quality. These findings support the idea obesity is indeed a complex condition that includes important psychological and psychosocial elements, which should not be overlooked when dealing with an obese individual.