Personality and Problems of Obese Children and Adolescents

Obesity develops under complex internal and environmental influences affecting child’s behavior from the beginning of postnatal life. Psychosocial factors accompanying increased body weight play the important role in forming personality of obese child, his attitudes towards world, society and to himself, as well as attitudes towards food, food choice, and eating behavior. Large scale of behavioral disturbances of the overweight children and adolescents have been reported, such as low selfesteem, depression, anxiety, shame of worse physical fitness, lower school performance, victimization from peers, withdrawal from social contacts, even lower financial evaluation. Many studies have been based on large population samples. However, many overweight and obese subjects are without behavioral problems, they don’t suffer from social victimization, they are able to cope effectively with environmental stress. The question of causality of behavioral problems of obese individuals has been discussed. Deeper insight into the characteristis of personality of individual obese child and/or adolescent may help to reveal their specific behavioral problems, if any. This may be helpful in designing effective preventive programs or therapy of obesity.

Keywords: Appetite, Behavioral disturbances, Bullying, Childhood obesity, Child’s personality, Daily rhythm, Eating behavior, Motivation, Self-concept, Social stigma.