Peer victimisation and its relationships with perceptions of body composition

Abstract

The present study examined the links between children's exposure to peer victimisation, in terms of type and frequency, their body composition and subjective perceptions of body composition. A total of 960 Swedish 10‐year‐olds (515 girls and 445 boys) completed questionnaires about their peer victimisation experiences, weight and height, and perceptions of shape and stature. Results showed that whereas overweight girls reported exposure to both appearance‐teasing and bullying, overweight boys mainly reported repeated experiences of appearance‐teasing. When examining the relative importance of body composition (weight and height) and perceptions of body composition on peer victimisation experiences, children's negative body perceptions were more strongly associated with the outcome than were body composition. This study hence stresses that children who are victimised also seem to battle unfavourable attitudes towards their physical selves, which may cause increasing concern as the child enters adolescence.

Keywords:

• peer victimisation
• body composition
• early adolescents

Acknowledgements

This research was financially supported by The Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research. We would also like to thank the participating children for enabling this work.