title: The Social and Emotional Lives of Overweight, Obese, and Severely Obese Children.
abstract: This study examines inter- and intrapersonal problems associated with being overweight among one thousand one hundred sixty-four 6- to 7-year-olds (49% boys) in 29 rural schools. Socioemotional data include child self-reports, peer sociometrics, and teacher reports. Results support the hypothesis that children with weight problems struggle socially and emotionally, and extend current understanding of child obesity by demonstrating that problems appear early, are evident in a community sample, can be identified using standard sociometric methods, and are worse among children with severe obesity. Sociometric status difference between levels of obesity were also found. Although obese children were neglected by peers, severely obese children were rejected.
authors.affiliation: Oklahoma State University. amanda.harrist@okstate.edu.
authors.forename: Amanda W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Harrist
authors.affiliation: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
authors.forename: Taren M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Swindle
authors.affiliation: Oklahoma State University.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hubbs-Tait
authors.affiliation: Oklahoma State University.
authors.forename: Glade L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Topham
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
authors.forename: Lenka H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Shriver
authors.affiliation: West Virginia University.
authors.forename: Melanie C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Page
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000523:psychology*; D009825:Oklahoma; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D010379:Peer Group; D012929:Psychological Distance; D012424:Rural Population