Body Image Dissatisfaction and Academic Buoyancy in Adolescents: The Mediating Roles of Social Anxiety and Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction

Academic buoyancy has a significant and stable effect on adolescent academic achievement. Thus, it is vital to examine the antecedent variables of academic buoyancy. However, little research has examined the effect of body image dissatisfaction on academic buoyancy. This study investigates the link between body image dissatisfaction and academic buoyancy in Chinese adolescents, focusing on the mediating roles of social anxiety and basic psychological needs satisfaction. Using the Negative Physical Self Scale, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents, the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale, and the Academic Buoyancy Scale, questionnaires were administered to 516 high school students in Henan and Hunan provinces in China. The results revealed that: (1) basic psychological needs satisfaction mediated the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and academic buoyancy among Chinese adolescents; (2) social anxiety and basic psychological needs satisfaction had a serial mediating role between body image dissatisfaction and academic buoyancy among Chinese adolescents. This research provides a pioneering exploration of the effect of body image dissatisfaction on academic buoyancy and its mechanisms. Implications for secondary school education practices and directions for future research are discussed.