Andrew Alvarez Social Science
Spotlight on Body Image: The Role of Body Dissatisfaction on the Development of Internalizing Symptoms, Alcohol Abuse, and Self-Harm Among Women With and Without Childhood ADHD
As youth with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) transition into adolescence, they experience body dissatisfaction at higher rates than those without ADHD. Crucially, body dissatisfaction mediates the relation between ADHD and later-life depression. Previous research has shown that women experience higher rates of body dissatisfaction than men–and that such dissatisfaction is linked to depression, anxiety, increased alcohol use, self-harm, and suicidality. Better understanding of these associations and the mechanisms underlying them, especially among women with histories of ADHD, is warranted to further improve interventions. Therefore, Andrew will test the association between body image during adolescence and the adulthood outcomes of depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse, self harm and suicidality in women with ADHD. He will also explore how high-quality family and peer support can buffer against the effects of body dissatisfaction.
