Weight‐based victimization among sexual and gender minority adolescents: Findings from a diverse national sample

Abstract

Summary Objectives Children and adolescents with overweight and obesity are vulnerable to weight‐based victimization. Research on weight‐based victimization and sexual identity have been largely isolated from one another; little is known about the nature of weight‐based victimization in sexual and gender minority (SGM: eg, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) youth. Our study is the first to examine the nature, extent, and sources of weight‐based victimization in a large sample of SGM adolescents. Methods This study utilized data from the LGBTQ National Teen Survey, a comprehensive online survey assessing victimization, school experiences, health behaviors, and sexuality‐specific experiences of SGM adolescents across the United States. The sample was composed of 9838 SGM adolescents (Mage = 15.6 years). Results Across diverse sexual orientation and gender identity groups, 44% to 70% of adolescents reported weight‐based teasing from family members, and 42% to 57% reported weight‐based teasing from peers. Approximately one‐third of adolescents reported these experiences from both family and peers. Weight‐based victimization was prevalent across body weight categories, particularly at highest (obesity) and lowest (underweight) extremes. Moreover, weight‐based victimization was prevalent across adolescents who endorsed established sexual identity labels (eg, gay, lesbian, bisexual) and emerging labels (eg, pansexual, asexual). Conclusions Weight‐based victimization, from family members and peers, is prevalent among SGM adolescents, across diverse body sizes and sexual and gender identities. Pediatric providers should be aware that SGM youth may be vulnerable to weight‐based victimization, across diverse body sizes.

Weight Stigma Among Sexual Minority Adults: Findings from a Matched Sample of Adults Engaged in Weight Management

“…For example, SM men and those who identify as “Other” sexual orientation may have an increased risk of being underweight and thus were likely missed in our WW sample. Recent evidence indicates that weight‐based victimization is prevalent across diverse sexual and gender identities of youth ; future research examining weight stigma in SM adults should include individuals with emerging sexual identities (e.g., asexual, pansexual), as well as more established sexual identities, and assess weight stigma across diverse gender and racial/ethnic identities. Although our study included multiple measures of weight stigma, we did not assess psychological or behavioral responses to interpersonal sources of stigma, which could help inform the relationship between weight stigma and health in future research.…”

Substance Use Among a National Sample of Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents: Intersections of Sex Assigned at Birth and Gender Identity

“…More information regarding the study design can be found elsewhere. 21,22 In total, 20,306 eligible participants started the survey. Among those, 3006 (14.8%) participants did not complete the initial demographic information and were excluded from all data analyses.…”

Intersections Between Multiple Forms of Bias-Based Bullying Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Youth

“…These studies document widespread instances of personal victimization as well as second-hand observations of peers being victimized or general anti-LGBQ epithets (e.g., Bthat's so gay^; Birkett et al 2009;Bucchianeri et al 2016;Kosciw et al 2018;Ybarra et al 2015). However, a recent GLSEN survey indicated that as many as 25% reported bias-based bullying and harassment due to other sources of social stigma as well (Kosciw et al 2018), andPuhl et al (2019) documented that over half of LGBTQ youth report weight-based teasing and victimization at home and/or school. Given that many LGBQ youth also have one or more additional stigmatized 1 Variations in acronyms reflect differences in study samples.…”