Thesis
Weight status, stigma, and well-being in adolescents: exploring gender and race
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2018
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/100316
Abstract
This research explores the association between weight status and some important components of well-being (self-rated health, mental health, body image, and life satisfaction) for adolescents, the possible mediating role of bullying victimization, as well as the potential moderating role of gender and race in the association between weight status and bullying victimization. These research questions were tested using the United States Health Behaviors in School-aged Children (HBSC) 2009/2010 data set (N=7,312). Results demonstrated that overweight and obese adolescents face more bullying than their average weight peers, and that bullying victimization increases with weight status. This suggests that overweight and obese adolescents face weight-stigma and consequences for their adiposity from their peers. As weight status and bullying faced increases, all of the well-being components worsen. There is evidence that bullying victimization acts as a mediating variable for only the mental health outcome, but body satisfaction operates as an important mediator for all other indicators of well-being. The association between weight status and bullying victimization is not found to depend on an individual's gender and race. In all, this research demonstrates that stigma and body satisfaction matter for the relationship between weight status and a variety of indicators of well-being.
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Details
- Title
- Weight status, stigma, and well-being in adolescents
- Creators
- Sadie Ridgeway
- Contributors
- Monica Kirkpatrick Johnson (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Sociology, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525141901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis