Prediction of Obesity and Overweight based on Depression, Difficulty in Emotion Regulation and Body Image Dissatisfaction among Adolescent Girls of Ahvaz City Using Discriminant Analysis

Abstract

Introduction and Aim: Obesity and overweight have numerous physical, emotional, social and psychological consequences. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of predicting obesity and overweight based on depression, difficulty in emotion regulation and body image dissatisfaction among adolescent girls.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional research from type of correlation. The study population comprised all adolescent girls in the second period of middle school of Ahvaz city during the 2025-6 academic years. A sample of 304 adolescent girls with high and low obesity and overweight (152 individuals per group) were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling method. The research instruments included the Body Mass Index, Beck Depression Inventor II (Beck et al., 1996), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (Gratz & Roemer, 2004) and Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (Cash, 1994). The data from this research were analyzed using correlation coefficients and discriminant analysis in SPSS version 27 software.

Findings: The correlation coefficient findings indicated that depression, difficulty in emotion regulation and body image dissatisfaction had a positive and significant relationship with obesity and overweight in adolescent girls (P<0.001). Also, the discriminant analysis findings revealed that 111 cases of obesity and overweight were predicted in the group of adolescent girls with low obesity and overweight and 103 cases of obesity and overweight were predicted in the group of adolescent girls with high obesity and overweight, which totally about 70 percent of the predictions being accurate.

Conclusion: The results of this research indicated the effective role of depression, difficulty in emotion regulation and body image dissatisfaction in predicting obesity and overweight in adolescent girls.