Bullying in childhood is ubiquitous and associated with a number of identified negative outcomes in both childhood and adulthood. However, the relationship between being bullied in childhood and religious/spiritual status in adulthood has never been explored.
METHOD:
Using a cross-sectional sample of 324 consecutive internal medicine outpatients and a survey methodology, we examined relationships between 'When you were growing up, were you ever a victim of bullying?' and (1) self-perceived extent of religiosity/spirituality and (2) religiosity/spirituality as assessed by scores on the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being Scale (FACIT-Sp-12).
RESULTS:
While bullying status in childhood was not related to either the self-perceived extent of religiosity or spirituality, it did evidence negative statistically significant relationships with seven of 12 FACIT-Sp-12 scales, as well as the overall composite score.
CONCLUSIONS:
According to these data, bullying in childhood is associated with lower religious/spiritual well-being in adulthood; however, this study was not designed to examine a causal relationship.
Child Care Health Dev. 2012 Aug 8. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2012.01401.x. [Epub ahead of print]
Body esteem, peer difficulties and perceptions of physical health in overweight and obese urban children aged 5 to 7 years.
Williams NA, Fournier J, Coday M, Richey PA, Tylavsky FA, Hare ME.
Source
School of Public Health, University of Memphis.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To determine whether there is an association between body mass index (BMI) and body esteem in young overweight and obese urban children, and to test peer relationship difficulties and perceived physical health as mediators of this relationship.
METHODS:
Child self-reported body esteem, and parent-reported child peer relationship difficulties (being bullied by peers and peer rejection) and physical health perceptions were obtained from 218 overweight and obese children aged 5-7 years (81% racial/ethnic minority, M BMI = 25.3) and their primary caregivers.
RESULTS:
Higher BMI was associated with lower body esteem for both girls and boys. This relation was mediated by poor physical health for boys but not for girls. Peer relationship difficulties did not mediate the observed association between BMI and body esteem in either group; however, girls with higher BMI experienced more bullying and being bullied by peers was associated with lower body esteem in girls.
CONCLUSIONS:
Intervening with perceptions of physical health may buffer overweight and obese boys from developing low body esteem in early childhood.
Matern Child Health J. 2012 Aug 11. [Epub ahead of print]
Dating Violence and Associated Health Risks Among High School Students with Disabilities.
Mitra M, Mouradian VE, McKenna M.
Source
Center for Health Policy and Research/Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 333 South Street, Shrewsbury, MA, 01545, USA, monika.mitra@umassmed.edu.
Abstract
Children with disabilities are at a higher risk for various forms of violence including sexual violence, bullying, and physical violence compared to those without disabilities. However there are no studies documenting the prevalence of dating violence amongst a population-based sample of adolescents with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of dating violence victimization against high schools students with and without disabilities and to examine associations of dating violence with health risks by disability status among high school girls. Data from the 2009 Massachusetts Youth Health Survey were analyzed in 2011 using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression. Among high school students who had ever been on a date, girls (25.9 %, 95 % CI 19.9-31.5) and boys (9.1 %, 95 % CI 5.8-12.4) with disabilities were more likely than girls (8.8 %, 95 % CI 6.8-10.8) and boys (4.5 %, 95 % CI 3.1-5.8) without disabilities to report dating violence. Multivariate analyses indicated that high school girls with disabilities who experienced dating violence were more likely to report feeling sad or hopeless for 2 weeks or more in the past year, suicide ideation in the past 12 months, and drug use in the past 30 days compared to those with disabilities who did not report dating violence and those without disabilities who reported and did not report dating violence. High school students with disabilities are at a greater risk for dating violence victimization compared to those without disabilities and high school girls with disabilities who experience dating violence are at increased risk for experiencing poor mental health outcomes and substance abuse.
Prevalence and clinical features of Thought-Perception-Sensitivity Symptoms: Results from a community survey of Korean high school students.
Kang NI, Park TW, Yang JC, Oh KY, Shim SH, Chung YC.
Source
Department of Psychiatry, Chonbuk National University Hospital & Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
Epidemiologic research indicates that psychosis and depression most frequently develop during adolescence. Hence, an efficient strategy for improving youth mental health would be to focus on detection of early-stage psychosis and depression in adolescence. In this study, 1461 high school students were surveyed using self-report scales. Students who scored equal to or above the cut-off value on any of the scales and who agreed to a further examination proceeded to a second assessment, using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia and Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States along with self-reporting scales. The estimated prevalence of adolescents at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis and of depression-spectrum disorders was 1.26 and 3.69% respectively. Compared with the normal group, experiences of bullying, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts were significantly higher in these two groups; the subjects at UHR for psychosis were found to have significantly lower academic performance and lower ratings on SCRS; and submissive behavior was more prevalent in the depression-spectrum group. Our results reveal several clinical features of adolescents at UHR for psychosis and with depression-spectrum disorder and underscore the importance of accurate assessment of and early appropriate care for these adolescents.
Psychol Med. 2012 Aug 16:1-7. [Epub ahead of print]