The Relationship Between Appearance Satisfaction and Self-Esteem Among High School Students in Eastern Croatia

Due to the imposition of social media, a large number of adolescents face problems related to physical appearance and social contact. The research objectives were to examine the degree of satisfaction of high school students in Eastern Croatia, Vinkovci, regarding their physical appearance and self-esteem based on their gender, type of high school and the differences in socioeconomic status. The study was designed as a cross-sectional research and included 278 students from medical schools and high schools. Data was collected using a survey on the demographic and socio-economic status of participants. The Body Image Questionnaire was used in a modified and validated version in Croatia and contained fourteen questions to examine the level of satisfaction with the body image. Using Rosenberg’s ten-question test, the level of self-esteem was examined. The Median age of students was 18 years. The female students in high school were significantly more concerned about their physical appearance than the male students in the same school (χ² = 23.6, p < 0.001). The linear correlation between the degree of satisfaction regarding physical appearance and self-esteem confirmed the association between body image satisfaction and gender of students in medical schools (r = 0,157; p = 0,04) and students in high school (r = 0,371; p < 0,001). Adolescents in this region of Croatia are not overly concerned about their physical appearance despite relatively decreased self-esteem. Alcohol consumption has proven to be a big problem especially for high school students, which can be a result of stress due to maintaining excellent grades.