TY - JOUR
T1 - Bullying experiences, body esteem, body dissatisfaction, and the moderating role of weight status among adolescents
AU - Fowler, Lauren A.
AU - Kracht, Chelsea L.
AU - Denstel, Kara D.
AU - Stewart, Tiffany M.
AU - Staiano, Amanda E.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the United States Department of Agriculture ( 3092-51000-056-04A ; ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02784509 ). This work was also partially supported by NORC Center (grant no. P30DK072476 ) from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the NIH entitled “Nutrition, Obesity, and Metabolic Health through the Lifespan” and U54 GM104940 from the NIGMS , which funds the Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center . LAF was supported by grant T32 HL130357 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the NIH . CLK was supported by 2T32DK064584-16A1 from the NIDDK . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents
PY - 2021/8
Y1 - 2021/8
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Body image
KW - Children
KW - Mental health
KW - Obesity
KW - Victimization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111333370&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.07.006
DO - 10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.07.006
M3 - Article
C2 - 34333320
AN - SCOPUS:85111333370
SN - 0140-1971
VL - 91
SP - 59
EP - 70
JO - Journal of Adolescence
JF - Journal of Adolescence
ER -