NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
Direct linkDirect link
ERIC Number: EJ1168339
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Mar
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-4391
EISSN: N/A
Perceived Weight and Bullying Victimization in Boys and Girls
Carey, Felicia R.; Wilkinson, Anna V.; Ranjit, Nalini; Mandell, Dorothy; Hoelscher, Deanna M.
Journal of School Health, v88 n3 p217-226 Mar 2018
Background: Research suggests that perceived weight poses separate risks from objective weight on adolescents' risks of being bullied. We examined if the prevalence of bullying victimization differed by perceived and objective weight status, and how these associations varied by sex. Methods: Data were analyzed for 6716 8th and 11th graders from the School Physical Activity and Nutrition project, a Texas statewide survey of public school students. Participants reported demographics, bullying victimization, and weight perceptions. Height and weight were measured. Results: In the last 6 months, 10.8% of students reported being bullied. Nearly 70% of normal weight and overweight and 50% of obese adolescents perceived themselves as weighing the right amount. Perceiving oneself as weighing too little or too much was significantly associated with increased bullying victimization (p < 0.05 for both), whereas objective weight was not. Statistical interactions between perceived weight and sex were significantly associated with victimization (p < 0.05) among boys only; boys who perceived themselves as weighing too little had higher predicted probabilities of victimization. Conclusions: Perceived weight may play a greater role in bullying victimization than objective weight, especially among boys. Interventions to prevent bullying should consider adolescents' self-perceptions of weight to effectively identify those at greater risk for victimization.
Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 11
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A