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The Effects of Teasing in Childhood or Adolescence on Young Adults' Body Image

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2012

Vera X. Liang ,
Alun C. Jackson  and
Vicki L. McKenzie
Vera X. Liang
Affiliation:
The University of Melbourne, Australia
Alun C. Jackson*
Affiliation:
The University of Melbourne, Australia University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Vicki L. McKenzie
Affiliation:
The University of Melbourne, Australia
*
Address for correspondence: Alun C. Jackson, Professor, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC 3010, Australia. Email: aluncj@unimelb.edu.au
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Abstract

This study examined the specific impact of remembered childhood and adolescent teasing on different dimensions of body image in young adults. A total of 113 participants (43 men and 70 women) indicated that they had been teased about their weight or appearance. The results revealed that the frequency of being teased about one's appearance was the only significant predictor of appearance satisfaction in women. Overweight preoccupation was not predicted by weight or appearance teasing. For men, the perceived distress of appearance and weight-related teasing predicted appearance satisfaction and overweight preoccupation respectively. The results suggest that different types of teasing can have differential impacts on the body image of young men and women. The results identify the need for prevention and intervention programs to address the problem of teasing in late primary and early high school children.

Keywords

Childhood and adolescent teasingbody imageweight preoccupationappearance satisfaction
Type
Articles
Information
The Educational and Developmental Psychologist , Volume 28 , Issue 2 , 01 December 2011 , pp. 101 - 115
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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