Bullying experiences, body esteem, body dissatisfaction, and the moderating role of weight status among adolescents

Abstract

Introduction The present study examined the relationships between bullying victimization experiences, body esteem (BE), and body dissatisfaction (BD) by obesity status. Methods Using a cross‐sectional design, adolescents (10‐16y) from the U.S. completed surveys. Weight and height were objectively assessed. Bullying was assessed using the Personal Experiences Checklist, with a total score that included three subscales (cyber, verbal‐relational, and physical). BE was assessed using total score on the BE Scale, and BD was assessed using the Body Image Assessment for Pre‐Adolescents, operationalized as the discrepancy between current and ideal body figure. Linear regression models, controlling for sociodemographics, were used to examine obesity status (with vs. without obesity) and sex as moderators of the relationships between bullying, BE, and BD. Results On average, adolescents (n = 328) were 12.6 ± 1.9 y, 45.4% male, 58.2% White, 35.7% Black, and 36.0% had obesity. Obesity status moderated the relationship between bullying experiences and BE, such that these relationships were only significant (B = −0.38, p<.05) among adolescents with obesity compared to adolescents without obesity. In both groups, greater verbal‐relational bullying experiences were associated with lower BE, while greater physical bullying experiences were related to higher BE only among adolescents with obesity. In adolescent girls without obesity, greater cyberbullying experiences were associated with lower BD. Conclusions The findings suggest different associations between sub‐types of bullying victimization experiences and BE and BD, highlighting the importance of examining these associations separately by obesity status.

Body Size and Well-being in Adolescents: The Roles of Bullying Victimization and Body Image

“…How individuals see their bodies could reflect how they believe others see and treat them, aligning with Cooley's concept of the looking glass self (Cooley 1902). Current research supports part of this idea, showing that weight-based bullying is associated with a higher risk of poor body image (Eisenberg et al 2003;Fowler et al 2021;Greenleaf et al 2014;Norrington 2021;Pont et al 2017). Body image could partly capture internalized weight stigma, as individuals of size are themselves weight stigmatizing.…”

Farklı Beden Kütle İndeksine Sahip Ergenlerde Akran Zorbalığı

“…Ergenlerin BKİ değerlendirildiğinde ise ülkemiz oranlarından daha yüksek olduğu görülmektedir (Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu, 2021). Ancak bu araştırmada elde edilen BKİ'den daha yüksek (Çatalçam ve Seval, 2021;Yılmaz ve ark, 2019;van Vuuren et al, 2019;Fowler et al, 2021), benzer (Ay Akdoğan ve ark, 2021; Lee et al, 2018b;Waasdorp et al, 2019) ya da daha düşük (Ceylan, 2019;Patte et al, 2021) BKİ'lerin olduğu çalışmalara da rastlanmıştır. Bu farklılıkların bölgesel çalışmalar olması nedeniyle beklendik bir sonuç olduğu söylenebilir.…”

“…Obezite ile psikososyal sağlığı inceleyen çalışmalarda çeşitli sonuçlar elde edilmiştir. Buna göre obezite ile depresyonun anlamlı ve çift yönlü bir ilişkiye sahip olduğu (Rajan & Menon, 2020); obezite durumunun, zorbalık deneyimleri ile beden saygısı arasındaki ilişkiyi yönettiği (Fowler et al, 2021); aşırı kilo ve obezitenin, ergenlerde ruh sağlığı sorunları ile önemli ölçüde ilişkili olduğu ve zorbalık mağduriyetinin bu ilişkide aracılık rolü oynadığı (van Vuuren et al, 2019) görülmüştür. Van Geel ve arkadaşlarının (2014) yaptığı çalışmada fazla kilolu ve obez olan ergenlerin zorbalık mağduriyetinin daha yüksek olduğu; Waasdorp ve arkadaşlarının çalışmasında da (2019) obez ve fazla kilolu olmanın kurban ve zorba-kurban olma olasılığını yükselttiği görülmüştür.…”

Establishing the relationships between adiposity and reproductive factors: a multivariable Mendelian randomization analysis

“…Higher adiposity in childhood, in comparison, delayed AFS, this may be explained by overweight in adolescence resulting in later engagement in sexual activity due to social stigma. (41)(42)(43)…”