Citation

Duarte C, Pinto-Gouveia J, Rodrigues T. J. Adolesc. 2015; 44: 259-268.

Affiliation

University of Coimbra, Portugal. Electronic address: tcfrodrigues@gmail.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.08.005

PMID

26318063

Abstract

The current study examined the associations between peer victimization, body image shame, self-criticism, self-reassurance, depressive symptoms and eating psychopathology in 609 female adolescents. Correlational analyses showed that being the victim of bullying was positively associated with body image shame, self-criticism, with low self-reassurance, depressive symptoms and eating psychopathology. A path analysis indicated that victimization experiences were associated with increased depressive symptoms partially through increased levels of body image shame, and a severe form of self-criticism - hated self. Body image shame and hated-self self-criticism fully mediated the association between victimization experiences eating psychopathology. The tested model accounted for a total of 51% of depressive symptoms variance and for 52% of eating psychopathology variance. These findings may have important intervention and prevention implications, by suggesting that bullying experiences fuel body image shame and consequent self-directed hostility and anger, which, in turn, predict increased depressive symptomatology and eating psychopathology in female adolescents.

Language: en