Reality Television Predicts Both Positive and Negative Outcomes for Adolescent Girls

Objective To assess the influence of media, specifically reality television, on adolescent behavior. Study design A total of 1141 preteen and adolescent girls (age range 11-17) answered questions related to their reality television viewing, personality, self-esteem, relational aggression, appearance...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of pediatrics 2013-06, Vol.162 (6), p.1175-1180
Main Authors: Ferguson, Christopher J., PhD, Salmond, Kimberlee, MPP, Modi, Kamla, PhD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior - psychology
adolescents
aggression
Aggression - psychology
Child
Female
girls
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Pediatrics
Self Concept
self-esteem
Surveys and Questionnaires
Television
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objective To assess the influence of media, specifically reality television, on adolescent behavior. Study design A total of 1141 preteen and adolescent girls (age range 11-17) answered questions related to their reality television viewing, personality, self-esteem, relational aggression, appearance focus, and desire for fame. Results Our results indicated that the influence of reality television on adolescent behavior is complex and potentially related to the adolescents' intended uses and gratifications for using reality television. Reality television viewing was positively related to increased self-esteem and expectations of respect in dating relationships. However, watching reality television also was related to an increased focus on appearance and willingness to compromise other values for fame. Reality television viewing did not predict relational aggression. Conclusion The potential influences of reality television use on adolescent girls are both positive and negative, defying easy categorization.
ISSN:0022-3476
1097-6833
DOI:10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.11.067