In the present investigation, we used structural equation modeling with 251 adolescents to reveal, through path analyses, the degree to which somatization might mediate the relationships between body image and self-harming behaviors. After controlling for the effects of (a) age, (b) gender, and (c) having previously visited a psychologist, we observed that somatization fully mediated both the relationship between body image and self-harming behaviors and the relationship between gender and self-harming behaviors. These results suggest that having a less satisfied relationship with the body or a more negative body image is closely related to a somatic experience of greater psychological suffering, which could lead, in turn, to a more active expression of this suffering through self-harming behaviors.
Keywords: adolescents; body image; psychological suffering; self-harming behaviors; somatization.