Background: Humans are sociable creatures who thrive in social situations. Family is the child's first social Microsystems with which he or she interacts from birth to death. Interaction with family members and other peers during the teenage years helps him understand the pace of development. Self-esteem and body image are two factors that can help a child deal with an ageing crisis. It is imperative to understand the impact of family size on these two attributes.
Objective: The current study sought to comprehend the impact of family size on BMI and self-esteem and to assess if any significant differences exist between male and female adolescents.
Method: 142 adolescents (63 males and 79 females) were selected by using the purposive sampling technique from the Delhi region of India. Pearson correlation coefficients and t-statistics were used to assess the relationship between variables and to check for significant differences between genders.
Conclusion: Family size was found to be the decisive factor in self-esteem and BMI. Small family adolescents have shown better self-esteem and BMI as compared to large families. Male adolescents’ scores were significantly higher than female counterparts.
Key words: Adolescents, BMI, self-esteem, family size
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