The protective role of parental support in links between adolescents' weight-based bullying and psychological adjustment problems.

BULLYING & psychology; PARENTS; MENTAL health; SECONDARY analysis; CHILD psychopathology; BODY weight; HIGH school students; PARENTING; PSYCHOLOGICAL adaptation; TEENAGERS' conduct of life; SOCIAL support; FACTOR analysis; MENTAL depression; SOCIAL anxiety; ADOLESCENCE

In the United States, weight-based peer victimization (herein "bullying") is prevalent and has been shown to have short- and long-term detrimental effects on adolescents' mental health. We utilized secondary data analysis to explore associations between adolescents' weight-based bullying, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and parental involvement. Moderated mediation models found depressive symptoms mediated the relation between weight-based bullying and both callousness and social anxiety symptoms, but only in the context of low parent involvement. This study highlights parental involvement as a potential protective factor and demonstrates the need for mental health screening and intervention for adolescents who experience weight-based bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Children's Health Care is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)