Body Surveillance and Adolescent Suicidal Ideation: Mediating Roles of Body Shame and Self-Criticism

Body surveillance was found to be positively associated with adolescent suicidal ideation. However, the underlying mechanism of how body surveillance affects suicidal ideation and sex differences in this relationship remains to be examined. The current study aims to investigate the potential mediating effects of body shame and self-criticism in the association between body surveillance and suicidal ideation, as well as sex differences in the model using a longitudinal design. A total of 1,653 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 16.77, SDage = 0.84; 41.9% males) were followed over three waves, 2 months apart. Results indicated that body surveillance did not affect suicidal ideation directly, but through the mediation of self-criticism and the serial mediation of body shame and self-criticism. Sex differences also existed in the mediation model. These findings identified two mediation variables in the association between body surveillance and suicidal ideation in adolescence. Further interventions are needed to develop effective prevention and intervention strategies targeting adolescent body surveillance behaviors.