Later Adolescents' Reactions to Three Types of Childhood Teasing: Relations With Self-Esteem and Body Image

Abstract

The purposes of this study were: 1) to examine how predictive three types of childhood teasing (competency, weight, and appearance) were of later self-esteem; and 2) to examine how predictive these same three variables were of later body image. Additionally, the pattern of relations for each gender was be explored. Each of these questions will be explored for males and females separately. The participants in this study were 89 female and 75 male undergraduates from two midwestern universities, with a mean age of 20. Results showed that more frequent teasing in childhood was significantly predictive of lower self-esteem and poorer body image among females and males. However, the findings varied by teasing types. Certain types of teasing were found to be related to self-esteem and body image while other types of teasing were not. Different patterns emerged for each gender. Implications of these findings and applications for professionals are discussed.

Does self esteem moderate the relation between gender and weight preoccupation in undergraduates?

“…Previous studies indicated a relationship between weight preoccupation and self esteem (e.g., Abell & Richards, 1996;Gleason et al, 2000;Lowery et al, 2005;Milligan & Pritchard, 2006;Shea & Pritchard, 2007), as well as between weight preoccupation and gender (e.g., Erol et al, 2006;Johnson et al, 2004;Macedo et al, 2007;Milligan & Pritchard, 2006;Pritchard, 2008a;Shea & Pritchard, 2007). These findings were replicated in the present study.…”

“…Low self-esteem has been found to relate to several types of weight preoccupation behaviors including drive for thinness (Milligan & Pritchard, 2006;Shea & Pritchard, 2007), poor body image and body dissatisfaction (Abell & Richards, 1996;Gleason, Alexander, & Somers, 2000;Lowery et al, 2005;Milligan & Pritchard, 2006;Shea & Pritchard, 2007), bulimic symptoms (Gilbert & Meyer, 2005; Mora-Giral, Raich-Escursell, Segues, Torras-Claraso, editing, corrections, structural formatting and other quality control mechanisms, may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication.…”

“…However, there is also an established relation between self esteem and weight preoccupation (e.g., Abell & Richards, 1996;Gleason et al, 2000;Lowery et al, 2005;Milligan & Pritchard, 2006;Shea & Pritchard, 2007). It is possible that the gender differences in weight preoccupation are not due to gender per se but to differences in self esteem.…”

Eating Behaviors, Weight Bias, and Psychological Functioning in Multi-ethnic Low-income Adolescents

“…Eighty to 110 is mild concern, 111 to 140 is moderate concern, and over 140 is severe concern with shape. The BSQ has high internal consistency and reliability at .97 and .88, respectively (Rosen, Jones, Ramirez, & Waxman, 1996) and has been used in the adolescent population (Gleason, Alexander, & Somers, 2000;Rodríguez-Cano, Beato-Fernández, & Llario, 2006).…”

“I Don’t Think It Matters What Age Group You Are in”: Exploring Body Image Coping Strategies in Women Aged 55+

“…Certain contexts can elicit feelings of body anxiety or shame for women, given how closely physical appearance is linked to self-esteem (1). To manage these threatening situations, coping strategies are often implemented, as individuals engage in cognitive, emotional or behavioural adjustments in order to lessen the stress associated with an uncomfortable situation (2).…”