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Weight, Perceptions, and Bullying: What Kind of Pounds Matter?

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Abstract

A great deal of research has investigated weight as a predictor for bullying victimization. However, weight is rarely examined in light of its potential role in explaining bullying perpetration, despite the fact that the definition of bullying typically requires a power imbalance, which can refer to either social power or physical size. Using negative binomial regressions, we investigated weight as a predictor of overt and relational bullying behaviors for a sample of 3208 6th–8th graders from 11 schools in a northeastern state. We examined whether this relationship differs by gender, and we explored whether objective size or perception of size is more predictive of perpetration. We also examined whether certain protective factors, like a positive school environment, moderated the effect of weight on bullying perpetration. We found that students who reported a higher BMI engaged in more overt, but not relational, bullying perpetration. Interestingly, students with misperceptions about their weight reported higher levels of both types of bullying perpetration, while students reporting a more positive school climate engaged in less overt and relational bullying. We also found gender differences in that girls are statistically more likely to commit overt bullying if they have a higher BMI. Our results suggest that prevention programs should address weight as a predictor of bullying behaviors, especially for girls, but also that body image and misperception of weight are important topics for prevention programs.

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Funding

Funds for the collection of data association with the Social Norms project were provided in full by a grant to the New Jersey Department of Education from the United States Department of Education, Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, under Title IV, Part A: the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act.

Author Contributions

NSB: Collaborated on the design of the study, the writing of the introduction, literature review, and discussion section, and edited the final draft. NMC: Collaborated on the design of the study, conducted the data analysis, wrote the results section, and collaborated on the discussion section and editing of the final draft. LK: Collaborated on the writing of the introduction and the literature review.

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  1. Rowan University, 201 Mullica Hill Rd., Glassboro, NJ, 08028, USA

    Natalie Schell-Busey

  2. The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA

    Nadine M. Connell

  3. Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Lindsay Kahle

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  1. Natalie Schell-Busey
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Correspondence to Natalie Schell-Busey.

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Schell-Busey, N., Connell, N.M. & Kahle, L. Weight, Perceptions, and Bullying: What Kind of Pounds Matter?. J Child Fam Stud 26, 2101–2113 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0740-6

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