Eren Güzeloğlu, Belen Ateş, Emine Gözde Ozdrama Yildiz, Sevilay Kök, Hüseyin Dağ, Vefik Arica
{"title":"Patterns of peer bullying among adolescents: the role of BMI and socioeconomic factors - a cross-sectional study in Turkey.","authors":"Eren Güzeloğlu, Belen Ateş, Emine Gözde Ozdrama Yildiz, Sevilay Kök, Hüseyin Dağ, Vefik Arica","doi":"10.1515/ijamh-2026-0013","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Peer bullying represent significant public health challenges with profound implications for adolescent psychosocial development. This study investigates the frequency of traditional and cyberbullying among adolescents, specifically examining how BMI and socioeconomic factors predict victimization risk and frequency. This study aimed to determine the frequency of peerbullying among school-aged children and adolescents and to examine the predictive impact of body mass index (BMI) and socioeconomic factors on victimization.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted with 330 Turkish adolescents aged 10-17 years of school-aged children and adolescents. Data were collected using the 9-item Child-Adolescent Bullying Scale (CABS-9) - Short Form along with a demographic information form. BMI was calculated based on height and weight measurements. Statistical analysis included regression models to determine the variance explained by BMI.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The prevalence of peer bullying was found to be 42.1 %, while cyberbullying prevalence was 12.7 %. Male gender, lower socioeconomic status, and younger age (specifically 4th-grade students) were identified as significant risk factors. BMI accounted for 17.5 % of the variance in bullying victimization (R<sup>2</sup>=0.175), with overweight and obese participants reporting significantly higher victimization scores (19.12 ± 6.15) compared to their normal-weight peers (13.50 ± 3.85). Verbal bullying (mocking and ridiculing) was the most frequent (33.9 %).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings indicate that bullying frequency in this sample exceeds global averages but aligns with regional trends in high- frequency areas. The significant predictive power of BMI suggests that physical appearance remains a primary catalyst for peer exclusion and mockery. These results underscore the urgent need for early-intervention programs, starting in primary school, that focus on body positivity, self-esteem enhancement, and the social integration of economically disadvantaged students.</p>","PeriodicalId":13823,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health","volume":" ","pages":"377-384"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2026-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2026-0013","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/10/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives: Peer bullying represent significant public health challenges with profound implications for adolescent psychosocial development. This study investigates the frequency of traditional and cyberbullying among adolescents, specifically examining how BMI and socioeconomic factors predict victimization risk and frequency. This study aimed to determine the frequency of peerbullying among school-aged children and adolescents and to examine the predictive impact of body mass index (BMI) and socioeconomic factors on victimization.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 330 Turkish adolescents aged 10-17 years of school-aged children and adolescents. Data were collected using the 9-item Child-Adolescent Bullying Scale (CABS-9) - Short Form along with a demographic information form. BMI was calculated based on height and weight measurements. Statistical analysis included regression models to determine the variance explained by BMI.
Results: The prevalence of peer bullying was found to be 42.1 %, while cyberbullying prevalence was 12.7 %. Male gender, lower socioeconomic status, and younger age (specifically 4th-grade students) were identified as significant risk factors. BMI accounted for 17.5 % of the variance in bullying victimization (R2=0.175), with overweight and obese participants reporting significantly higher victimization scores (19.12 ± 6.15) compared to their normal-weight peers (13.50 ± 3.85). Verbal bullying (mocking and ridiculing) was the most frequent (33.9 %).
Conclusions: The findings indicate that bullying frequency in this sample exceeds global averages but aligns with regional trends in high- frequency areas. The significant predictive power of BMI suggests that physical appearance remains a primary catalyst for peer exclusion and mockery. These results underscore the urgent need for early-intervention programs, starting in primary school, that focus on body positivity, self-esteem enhancement, and the social integration of economically disadvantaged students.
期刊介绍：
The International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health (IJAMH) provides an international and interdisciplinary forum for the dissemination of new information in the field of adolescence. IJAMH is a peer-reviewed journal that covers all aspects of adolescence. Manuscripts will be reviewed from disciplines all over the world. The International Editorial Board is dedicated to producing a high quality scientific journal of interest to researchers and practitioners from many disciplines. Topics Medicine and Clinical Medicine Health issues Adolescents Hygiene and Environmental Medicine.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
