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Chapter 3
Abstract
Purpose
Aims of our study were 1) to describe behavioural and social-emotional functioning from an adolescent and parental perspective; 2) to explore behavioural and social-emotional functioning in western and non-western obese adolescents.
Methods
Obese adolescents (11-18 years) visiting an outpatient paediatric obesity clinic completed the Youth Self Report (YSR) and parents the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) to assess adolescents’ behavioural and social-emotional functioning.
Results
109 obese adolescents (mean BMIsds: 2.9±0.4) and their parents participated. Almost all mean YSR and CBCL scores were significantly higher in our obese sample than the reference value (T=50) of the norm population. Parents reported significantly more behavioural problems than their children. Parents, of both ethnicity’s, reported more internalizing and externalizing problems than their children. There were no significant differences between western and non- western adolescents, except for the attention problem score.
Conclusion
Parents of both western and non-western obese adolescents reported higher rates of behavioural and social-emotional problems than their children. These results underscore the need for treatment programs that not only focus on obtaining a healthy weight but also address these behavioural problems and social-emotional malfunctioning.
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