Probing Question: Do boys or girls suffer more from poor body image?

By Melissa Beattie-Moss and A'ndrea Elyse Messer - Research/Penn State Picture a crowded beach at the height of summer. Boys and girls of all shapes and sizes cavort in the waves and lounge on beach towels. It's the skin-baring season - and that can exacerbate body image woes for many teens. Who do you think is most unhappy with their bodies? Underweight or overweight? Girls or boys? If you guessed overweight girls, think again. Recent research has found that underweight males are at high risk for depressive symptoms, as are female "weight pessimists" - girls who think they are overweight but are actually normal weight. "Underweight boys are extremely distressed, and are far more likely to be upset about their bodies than boys who are heavier," said Jason N. Houle, graduate student in sociology and demography. As for girls, "Parents often worry about overweight girls' mental health, but our findings show that it is girls who have a healthy weight but perceive being overweight who are most likely to feel depressed." Houle was part of a Penn State research team, supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development , which looked at data from 6,557 male and 6,126 female participants in Wave II of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.