Citation

Reiter-Purtill J, Gowey MA, Austin H, Smith KC, Rofey DL, Jenkins TM, Garland BH, Zeller MH. J. Pediatr. Psychol. 2016; 42(3): 272-282.

Affiliation

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/jpepsy/jsw078

PMID

27680082

Abstract

OBJECTIVE : To examine the associations of peer victimization with internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, social competence, and academic performance in a clinical sample of adolescents with severe obesity, and whether self-worth and social support affect these associations.

METHODS : Multisite cross-sectional data from 139 adolescents before weight loss surgery (Mage = 16.9; 79.9% female, 66.2% White; MBody Mass Index [BMI] = 51.5 kg/m(2)) and 83 nonsurgical comparisons (Mage = 16.1; 81.9% female, 54.2% White; MBMI = 46.9 kg/m(2)) were collected using self-reports with standardized measures.

RESULTS : As a group, participants did not report high levels of victimization. Self-worth mediated the effects of victimization on a majority of measures of adjustment, and further analyses provided evidence of the buffering effect of social support for some mediational models.

CONCLUSIONS : Self-worth and social support are important targets for prevention and intervention for both victimization and poor adjustment in adolescent severe obesity.

© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Language: en