BODY-IMAGE IN ADOLESCENTS - A COMPARATIVE INVESTIGATION OF HEALTHY AND CHRONICALLY ILL ADOLESCENTS

The following study analyzes the preliminary data obtained during a 4 year longitudinal study of 108 diabetic and 107 healthy youths. It was investigated whether chronically ill youths have a more negative body image of themselves than do healthy ones. Further it was studied whet her the objective degree of maturity and the quality of the metabolic adjustment of the disease influenced the physical self image of the ch ronically ill youths. Diabetics were found to view their body as less efficient, underdeveloped and sexually less differentiated, for exampl e. Menarche and pollarche were also viewed negatively. Poor metabolic control of the disease was accompanied by an especially poor physical self image of these young people. Sex related differences in the self image of youths were found only in the control group. Differences in s ex are evidently neutralized by the factor disease.