Background and Objective: Body image represents how one perceives his/her body and acts as the most important part of an individual’s image of oneself. It is because a person's physical appearance is the first feature that is judged by people when they encounter each other. On the other hand, a notable measure of mental health is one’s satisfaction with his/her body image and positive attitude to the body. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between body image and mental health of university students.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 372 students studying in Birjand in 2016 were selected by convenience sampling method. Data collection tools included demographics form, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), and the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Mann-Whitney U test, and simple linear regression.
Results: There was a significant, inverse relationship between body image and mental health (P<0.001). Similarly, there was a significant negative correlation between total body image score, the two subscales of the body and body satisfaction scores with total mental health score and all its dimensions on the other hand (P<0.05). Simple linear regression also showed that the average mental health, for a unit of increase in score of body image, faces a reduction of 0/372 score.
Conclusion: The results showed that there is an inverse relationship between body image and mental health, a finding that can help in better preparation of educational counseling programs.
Keywords: Body image, Mental health, Public health, Students, Birjand
Conflict of interest: None declared.
Funding: This study was funded by Birjand Universities of Medical Sciences, Iran.
How to cite this article: Soltani N, Safajou F, Amouzeshi Z, Zameni E. The Relationship between Body Image and Mental Health of Students in Birjand in 2016 Academic Year: A Short Report J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2017; 16(5): 479-86. [Farsi]
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