title: How you look versus how you feel: Associations between BMI z-score, body dissatisfaction, peer victimization, and self-worth for African American and white adolescents.
abstract: Being overweight and having negative self-perceptions (body dissatisfaction) can have problematic consequences for adolescents physically, socially, and psychologically. Understanding associations between weight, self-perceptions, and peer experiences across ethnicities is particularly important given recent increases in obesity among ethnic minorities. The current study aimed to address these issues by examining Body Mass Index (BMI) z-scores and body dissatisfaction predicting change in general self-worth over time via peer victimization experiences in a diverse sample of 236 youth (ages 10-16 years). Body dissatisfaction predicted decreases in self-worth over time even after controlling for BMI z-score. BMI z-scores predicted decreases in self-worth over time only for white adolescents, whereas body dissatisfaction directly predicted decreases in self-worth for African American youth and indirectly via peer victimization for white youth. Associations were also considered by gender. Implications for intervention efforts for both white and African American adolescents are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA. Electronic address: casutter@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sutter
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA. Electronic address: anishina@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Adrienne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nishina
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. Electronic address: ryan.adams@cchmc.org.
authors.forename: Ryan E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Adams
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000067074:Peer Influence; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Body dissatisfaction; Ethnicity; Peer victimization; Self-worth