Perceived Overweight Linked to Self-Harm in Teens

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by News-Medical.

Adolescents who perceive themselves as overweight are three times more likely to consider committing self-harm compared to those who do not, regardless of whether the person is objectively overweight, according to a new study released by The University of Texas at Arlington.

Dr. Baiden conducted the research with fellow UTA social work Associate Professor Catherine LaBrenz, along with researchers from UT Dallas, Texas Woman’s University, Florida International University, New York University, Simmons University and the University of Ghana.

“This finding ties neatly into recent calls to reconsider how accurate BMI is as a tool for diagnosing individuals as overweight or obese,” Baiden said.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Psychiatry Research, the researchers examined data from more than 39,000 individuals age 14 to 18 obtained from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Behavior Risk Survey. It considered factors such as socioeconomic status, family dynamics, academic pressures and adverse childhood experiences.

“Even after adjusting for established suicidal ideation risk factors such as feelings of hopelessness, bullying, cyberbullying, substance use and demographic variables, we still found a connection between how adolescents feel about their weight and whether they are considering self-harm,” Dr. LaBrenz, a co-author of the study, said. “We also found that females were more at risk than males at perceiving themselves to be overweight.”

The study also highlights the critical role of schools, families and communities in creating supportive environments that can help improve adolescents’ self-perceptions, the former because they can offer mental health resources and foster a positive and inclusive atmosphere.

Source: News-Medical
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250211/Perceived-overweight-linked-to-self-harm-in-teens.aspx