Childhood Bullying Victimization and Overweight in Young Adulthood: A Cohort Study

Adolescent social stress alters the role of orexin innervation in the hindbrain in male hamsters

Juvenile male hamsters exposed to chronic social stress eat more, gain weight, and have larger fat pads. The purpose of the present study was to address possible changes in food hoarding and orexin/hypocretin innervation in response to social stress. Male hamsters in early adolescence were exposed to a resident-intruder social stress paradigm or control condition daily for 2 weeks. Metabolism-related physiological measures and behaviors were tracked, and brains were immunocytochemically labeled for orexin-A. Our data confirm our previous observations on appetite, weight gain, and obesity, and showed a strong trend toward enhanced food hoarding as in prior studies. In addition, there were no statistically significant differences in orexin innervation in any brain area analyzed. However, unique correlation patterns were observed between orexin innervation and appetite or metabolic outcome. In particular, opposite correlations were observed between groups within the dorsal raphe nucleus, lateral parabrachial nucleus, and nucleus of the solitary tract. These opposite patterns of correlations suggest chronic social stress causes site-specific alterations in synaptic activity in relation with these behaviors.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Risk of Abnormal Body Mass Index: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

(1) Objectives: The impact of abnormal body mass index (BMI) on health is extensive, and various risk factors contribute to its effects. This study aimed to examine the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and BMI categories, including underweight, overweight, obesity, severe obesity, and morbid obesity; (2) Methods: Three databases were searched: Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus. Manual searches were conducted using Google Scholar and ResearchGate. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the association between ACEs and BMI. A random-effects model was used to combine the ORs and CIs across studies; (3) Results: This meta-analysis included 71 studies. The pooled ORs for the relationship between ACEs and obesity was 1.42 (95% CI: 1.24-1.63, Z = 4.96, p < 0.001), indicating a significant association. ACEs showed a positive association with overweight (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.06-1.27, Z = 3.24, p = 0.001). Specifically, ACEs ≥ 4 were strongly associated with obesity (OR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.27-3.36, Z = 2.90, p = 0.004). Sexual abuse was also found to be significantly associated with obesity (OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.29-1.65, Z = 5.98, p < 0.001); (4) Conclusion: This study finds that individuals who have experienced ACEs are more likely to have a higher BMI in adulthood. Therefore, ACEs should be considered a factor associated with abnormal BMI.

A hamster model for stress-induced weight gain

This review addresses the translational relevance of animal models of stress and their effects on body weight. In humans, stress, whether chronic or acute, has often been associated with increased food intake and weight gain. In view of the current obesity epidemic, this phenomenon is especially relevant. Such observations contrast with reports with commonly used laboratory animals, especially rats and mice. In these species, it is common to find individuals gaining less weight under stress, even with potent social stressors. However, there are laboratory species that present increased appetite and weight gain under stress, such as golden hamsters. Furthermore, these animals also include metabolic and behavioral similarities with humans, including hoarding behavior which is also enhanced under stress. Consequently, we propose that our comparative perspective provides useful insights for future research on the development of obesity in humans as a consequence of chronic stress exposure.

Korean autistic persons facing systemic stigmatization from middle education schools: daily survival on the edge as a puppet

Introduction

Korean autistic persons who have endured an integrated secondary education system have been exposed to school bullying, causing trauma and stigma to them. It also blocks them from entering a tertiary education system and a decent work, resulting in a lower quality of life. However, research on how it affects autistic persons has not yet been conducted in Korea.

Methods

Fourteen adult autistic persons in the Republic of Korea participated in the semi-structured focused group interviews. Their conversations were analyzed through qualitative coding.

Results

The interview results show the rare voice of Korean autistic people. Although interviewees experienced physical, verbal, and sexual violence against them during the secondary education period, they could not get substantial assistance from schools and society. Interviewees agreed that bullying is inherent in the secondary education system of Korea, even in Korean culture. They experienced the cause of bullying being attributed to them as victims rather than perpetrators, and impunity is given to the bullying assailants. Early analyses of this article confirm that such experiences are combined with the sociocultural climate of elitism, meritocracy, and authoritarianism in the Republic of Korea.

Conclusion

The study confirmed that the autistic person's bullying experience does not come from the social inability of autistic people but the "profound" competition and discriminative atmosphere of the society. The result urges further studies on the bullying experience of East Asian autistic persons and the construction of Korean intervention strategies to prevent school violence against Koreans with disabilities, especially autistic pupils.

Early risk factors for joint trajectories of bullying victimisation and perpetration

Bullying victimisation is a prevalent stressor associated with serious health problems. To inform intervention strategies, it is important to understand children's patterns of involvement in bullying victimisation and perpetration across development, and identify early risk factors for these developmental trajectories. We analysed data from the Millennium Cohort Study (N = 14,525; 48.6% female, 82.6% White), a representative birth cohort of British children born in 2000-2002 across the UK. Bullying victimisation and perpetration were assessed via child, mother, and teacher reports at ages 5, 7, 11, and 14 years. Early risk factors (child emotional, cognitive, and physical vulnerabilities, and adverse family environments) were assessed at ages 9 months, 3, and 5 years. Using k-means for longitudinal data, we identified five joint trajectories of victimisation and perpetration across ages 5, 7, 11, and 14: uninvolved children (59.78%), early child victims (9.96%), early adolescent victims (15.07%), early child bullies (8.01%), and bully- victims (7.19%). Individual vulnerabilities (e.g., emotional dysregulation, cognitive difficulties) and adverse family environments (maternal psychopathology, low income) in pre-school years independently forecast multiple trajectories of bullying involvement. Compared to victims, bully-victims were more likely to be male, have cognitive difficulties, and experience harsh discipline and low income. Interventions addressing these risk factors (e.g., via accessible mental health care, stigma-based interventions, or programs to support low-income families) may help to prevent bullying involvement and its associated sequelae.

Childhood Maltreatment and Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Quasi-Experimental Studies

OBJECTIVE

Childhood maltreatment is associated with mental health problems, but the extent to which this relationship is causal remains unclear. To strengthen causal inference, the authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of quasi-experimental studies examining the relationship between childhood maltreatment and mental health problems.

METHODS

A search of PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase was conducted for peer-reviewed, English-language articles from database inception until January 1, 2022. Studies were included if they examined the association between childhood maltreatment and mental health problems using a quasi-experimental method (e.g., twin/sibling differences design, children of twins design, adoption design, fixed-effects design, random-intercept cross-lagged panel model, natural experiment, propensity score matching, or inverse probability weighting).

RESULTS

Thirty-four quasi-experimental studies were identified, comprising 54,646 independent participants. Before quasi-experimental adjustment for confounding, childhood maltreatment was moderately associated with mental health problems (Cohen's d=0.56, 95% CI=0.41, 0.71). After quasi-experimental adjustment, a small association between childhood maltreatment and mental health problems remained (Cohen's d=0.31, 95% CI=0.24, 0.37). This adjusted association between childhood maltreatment and mental health was consistent across different quasi-experimental methods, and generalized across different psychiatric disorders.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings are consistent with a small, causal contribution of childhood maltreatment to mental health problems. Furthermore, the findings suggest that part of the overall risk of mental health problems in individuals exposed to maltreatment is due to wider genetic and environmental risk factors. Therefore, preventing childhood maltreatment and addressing wider psychiatric risk factors in individuals exposed to maltreatment could help to prevent psychopathology.

Pythagorean Self-Awareness Intervention Promoted Healthy Dietary Patterns, Controlled Body Mass Index, and Reduced Self-Reported Stress Levels of Primary School Children: Α One-Arm Pilot Study

Stress is common in childhood and an important factor that affects behavior later in adulthood. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the Pythagorean Self-Awareness Intervention (PSAI), a holistic "cognitive reconstruction" technique to assess primary school children's stress levels, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and body mass index. Secondary outcome measures included relations with peers, sleep, and hair cortisol concentrations. This one-arm pilot study took place in a primary school, from February to June 2019. Participants were 32 pupils attending the second grade of primary school who received the 8-week PSAI to adopt healthy behaviors and lifestyle. Self-report measures were applied for the evaluation of various variables at the beginning and the end of the eight-week intervention. There were statistically significant reductions in stress levels (p = 0.00), nightmares' frequency (p = 0.00), body mass index (p = 0.03), and bully scale (p = 0.00), and improvement in Mediterranean diet quality (p = 0.00). Hair cortisol concentrations increased (p = 0.02). The social scale significantly increased. Bedtime remained the same after the intervention. This pilot trial showed that the PSAI promoted healthy dietary patterns, controlled children's body mass index, and reduced their self-reported stress levels. Further research on the implementation of this holistic program on children is suggested, in well-powered randomized controlled trials.

Association between weight status and bullying experiences among children and adolescents in schools: An updated meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The association between weight status and bullying experience is well established, but little is known about the association between overweight or obesity and bullying behaviors among children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to provide updated evidence on the association between weight status and exposure to bullying among school children and adolescents.

METHODS

All literature published not later than December 12, 2019 was obtained from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and PsycINFO databases. The odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were used to measure the effect size. Results were combined using random-effects or fixed-effects meta-analysis, and sensitivity analysis was conducted to explore potential heterogeneity moderator factors.

RESULTS

This meta-analysis included 26 studies on the association between obesity overweight and bullying. Overall, children and adolescents with obesity had greater odds of experiencing bullying than their counterparts with healthy weight. Children and adolescents with obesity (OR = 1.46, 95 % CI:1.31-1.62), and overweight (OR = 1.24, 95 % CI: 1.17-1.32) were more likely to experience bullying than their normal weight peers. With regards to gender, boys with obesity experienced an increased risk of bullying behaviors than girls with obesity (OR = 1.40, 95 % CI: 1.30-1.50). Similarly, boys with overweight experienced an increased risk of bullying behaviors than girls with overweight (OR = 1.19, 95 % CI:1.06-1.34).

CONCLUSIONS

The present results suggest that children and adolescents must be protected from bullying, especially those that are children and adolescents with obesity overweight and effective strategies are needed to reduce bullying behaviors among children and adolescents in schools.

Adverse childhood experiences, bullying, inflammation and BMI in 10-year-old children: The biological embodiment

Exposure to adversity during the first years of life might already be biologically embedded well before adult life. Thus, the impact of different stressful experiences needs to be explored. This study aims to examine if the association between being victimized (adverse childhood experiences—ACEs and bullying) and (hs-) C-Reactive Protein (CRP) is explained by the influence of adversity on the body mass index (BMI) of the child. We included children from the Portuguese birth cohort Generation XXI (n = 3712) that at 10 years of age completed a questionnaire on the exposure to ACEs and bullying victimization, assessed by an adaptation from the original ACEs study and an adaptation of The Bully Scale Survey, respectively. Following an overnight fast, a venous blood sample was collected by trained nurses and hs-CRP was assayed in fresh blood samples. Weight and height were measured with the child in underwear and bare feet. Weight was measured to the nearest one-tenth of a kilogram with the use of a digital scale (Tanita), and height was measured to the nearest one-tenth of a centimetre with the use of a wall stadiometer (seca®). BMI was calculated as the value of weight (kg) over squared height (m), and computed as an age- and sex-specific BMI standard deviation (SD) score (z-score), according to the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards (5–19 years). Regression coefficients and respective 95% Confidence Interval [β(95%CI)] were computed using path analysis. We observed that ACEs had a positive total effect on hs-CRP at the age of 10 years (β = 0.06; 95%CI: -0.02; 0.15). A direct effect (β = 0.02; 95%CI: -0.01; 0.06) accounted for 66.1% of the association between ACEs and hs-CRP. A positive total effect of bullying victimization on hs-CRP (β = 0.20; 95%CI: 0.06; 0.34) was observed. A direct effect (β = 0.08; 95%CI: -0.05; 0.21) accounted for 40.0% of the association, while an indirect effect through BMI (β = 0.12; 95%CI: 0.06; 0.18) explained 60.0% of the pathway between bullying victimization and hs-CRP. Results suggest that there might be different mechanisms involved in the biological embedding of childhood experiences. BMI seems to explain a great part of the association between exposure to bullying victimization and hs-CRP at 10 years of age. Further research is still needed to better understand the mechanisms explaining the emergence and persistence of health poorer outcomes later in life for victims of abuse.

The Relationships between Childhood Bullying, School Connectedness, and Adolescent Adiposity, the Fragile Families Child and Wellbeing Study

BACKGROUND

School environments are important to consider for children's health. This study aims to determine if childhood peer bullying and school connectedness are associated with adolescent adiposity.

METHODS

A total of 3377 children from the age 9 child interview of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study had self-reported bullying and school connectedness data at age 9, height and weight measured at ages 9 and 15, and waist circumference was measured during an age 15 home visit. Linear regression models estimated the association between bullying and school connectedness and (1) change in BMI between age 9 and 15, and (2) waist circumference at age 15. Models were stratified by sex.

RESULTS

Girls had larger increases in body mass index (BMI) when experiencing low school connectedness, and students that experienced both bullying and low school connectedness had larger increases in BMI. Girls had larger waist circumferences for increased levels of bullying, low connectedness, and experiencing both.

CONCLUSIONS

School environments may play a role in the development of increased adiposity and there may be gender differences in the types of factors that are important to consider, particularly for central adiposity. Positive and engaging school environments can help support students' development and healthy behaviors.

Childhood adversity is linked to adult health among African Americans via adolescent weight gain and effects are genetically moderated

Identifying the mechanisms linking early experiences, genetic risk factors, and their interaction with later health consequences is central to the development of preventive interventions and identifying potential boundary conditions for their efficacy. In the current investigation of 412 African American adolescents followed across a 20-year period, we examined change in body mass index (BMI) across adolescence as one possible mechanism linking childhood adversity and adult health. We found associations of childhood adversity with objective indicators of young adult health, including a cardiometabolic risk index, a methylomic aging index, and a count of chronic health conditions. Childhood adversities were associated with objective indicators indirectly through their association with gains in BMI across adolescence and early adulthood. We also found evidence of an association of genetic risk with weight gain across adolescence and young adult health, as well as genetic moderation of childhood adversity's effect on gains in BMI, resulting in moderated mediation. These patterns indicated that genetic risk moderated the indirect pathways from childhood adversity to young adult health outcomes and childhood adversity moderated the indirect pathways from genetic risk to young adult health outcomes through effects on weight gain during adolescence and early adulthood.

Body weight trends in adolescents of Central Italy across 13 years: social, behavioural, and psychological correlates

Aim

The study aimed to determine trends in the prevalence of underweight, overweight, obesity and their putative risk factors in different cohorts from a representative population of adolescents in Central Italy.

Subject and methods

After random sampling, five cohorts of adolescents attending public high schools – aged 14 to 18 years – were evaluated from 2005 to 2018 (n: 25,174). Collected information included self-reported body mass index (BMI), descriptors of family environment, eating behaviour, physical activity, screen use, bullying victimisation, sexual behaviour (age at first intercourse, number of partners) and perceived psychological distress. For these data, between-cohort prevalence differences were used to esteem prevalence variations across time. In the 2018 cohort, the association between these factors and body weight was evaluated through multinomial regressions with sex-specific crude relative risk ratios for different BMI categories.

Results

An increased prevalence of overweight was observed for both boys and girls. The study outlined a transition towards higher parental education and unemployment, reduced soft drinks consumption and higher psychological distress. Sex-specific changes were observed for physical and sexual activity, and a rising percentage of girls reported being bullied and distressing family relationships. Parental education and employment, together with physical activity, confirmed to be protective factors against pathological weight. The latter clustered with reduced soft drinks consumption, bullying victimisation, early sexual activity, worse family relationships and higher distress.

Conclusion

An increased prevalence of both overweight and underweight was observed across time. Economic factors associated with unemployment and changes in behavioural patterns may have contributed to this trend.

Lifelong enhancement of body mass from adolescent stress in male hamsters

In hamsters, exposure to stress in adulthood causes increased body weight. We addressed how social stress during puberty would impact food intake and body weight. Stressed hamsters started gaining significantly more weight than controls after only two days of stress exposure. Over a two-week period, stressed subjects gained 10% more weight and consumed more food than controls. At the end of the stress period, stressed hamsters collected nearly twice as many palatable sugar pellets from an arena than controls. Stressed subjects presented 15-20% more body fat in mesenteric, inguinal, and retroperitoneal fat pads. In order to assess the duration of these effects, we analyzed data from previous studies keeping hamsters for over two months past the stress period in puberty. Our analysis shows that stressed hamsters stopped gaining more weight after the stress period, but their body weights remained elevated for over two months, consistently weighing 10% more than their non-stressed counterparts. We also analyzed conditioning training data collected after the period of stress in late puberty and early adulthood (P56 to P70) that was part of the original studies. Training consisted of lever pressing for palatable food rewards. At these times, previously stressed hamsters retrieved similar numbers of food pellets from the conditioning chambers, suggesting no difference in appetite after the stress period. These data showing a long-lasting effect of stress on body weight may be relevant to studies on the ontogeny of lifelong obesity.

Integrating anthropometric and cardiometabolic health methods in stress, early experiences, and development (SEED) science

Within Stress, Early Experiences, and Development (SEED) science, there is a growing body of research demonstrating complex associations not only between stress, development, and psychopathology, but also with chronic disease risk factors. We argue that it is important for SEED researchers to consider including child anthropometric and physical health measures to more comprehensively capture processes of risk and resilience. Broader adoption of harmonized anthropometry and health measures in SEED research will facilitate collaborations, yielding larger datasets for research in high-risk populations, and greater opportunity to replicate existing findings. In this review, we identify optimal anthropometric and cardiometabolic health measurement methods used from infancy through adolescence, including those that are low-burden and inexpensive. Methods covered include: waist, hip, and head circumference, height, length, weight, pubertal development, body composition, blood pressure, arterial stiffness, carotid intima media thickness, and serum measures of cardiometabolic risk and inflammation. We provide resources for SEED researchers to integrate these methods into projects or to better understand these methods when reading the literature as well as where to find collaborators for more in-depth studies incorporating these measures. With broader integration of psychological and physical health measures in SEED research, we can better inform theory and interventions to promote health and resilience in individuals who have experienced early stress.

Body mass index and peer victimization: A transactional model

Past research has shown concurrent associations between adolescent's body mass index (BMI) and classroom bullying victimization experiences. The goal of this three‐wave longitudinal study is to examine a transactional model of associations between BMI and bullying victimization among adolescents in India. We investigate concurrent unidirectional and bidirectional relations between BMI and victimization. In a sample of 1238 students from nine schools (Grades 7–9; M‐age_T1 = 13.15, SD = 1.16) in Indore, India, we used self‐ and peer‐reports to measure bullying victimization in the classroom, and objective measurement of students' height and weight to collect data on adolescents' BMI, across three waves in one school year. Structural equational modeling was used to test transactional relations between BMI and bullying victimization. For self‐reported victimization, there was no concurrent or over time association between BMI and victimization for boys or girls in the present study. For peer‐reported victimization, we observed concurrent associations between BMI and victimization for boys and girls and a prospective relation where higher BMI corresponded to less victimization over time for boys. The study yielded mainly concurrent relations between BMI and victimization among adolescents in India. Results from western countries may not generalize to India.

Onset of Workplace Bullying and Risk of Weight Gain: A Multicohort Longitudinal Study

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the onset of workplace bullying as a risk factor for BMI increase.

METHODS

Repeated biennial survey data from three Nordic cohort studies were used, totaling 46,148 participants (67,337 participant observations) aged between 18 and 65 who did not have obesity and who were not bullied at the baseline. Multinomial logistic regression was applied for the analysis under the framework of generalized estimating equations.

RESULTS

Five percent reported onset of workplace bullying within 2 years from the baseline. In confounder-adjusted models, onset of workplace bullying was associated with a higher risk of weight gain of ≥ 1 BMI unit (odds ratio = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.01-1.19) and of ≥ 2.5 BMI units (odds ratio = 1.24; 95% CI: 1.06-1.45). A dose-response pattern was observed, and those exposed to workplace bullying more frequently showed a higher risk (P_trend  = 0.04). The association was robust to adjustments, restrictions, stratifications, and use of relative/absolute scales for BMI change.

CONCLUSIONS

Participants with exposure to the onset of workplace bullying were more likely to gain weight, a possible pathway linking workplace bullying to increased long-term risk of type 2 diabetes.

Effect of playing soccer on stress, sociality, and physical fitness in alienated youth: a retrospective study

This study was to analyze bullying experiences, physical fitness, and stress and social support in young students who have taken part in a soccer program for approximately 3 years. Fifty-two participants who were divided into two groups: a control group that had not experienced alienation (NAG; n=45, 86.5%) and an experimental group that had ex-perienced alienation (AG; n=7, 13.5%). The frequency of alienation in AG was ‘1–2 times’ or ‘a few times’ per week. NAG believed their in-volvement in the soccer program helped them improve their relation-ships with friends, cope with alienation, and overcome bullying. Muscle mass and basal metabolic rate of NAG showed higher levels than those of AG. Strength of NAG was significantly higher than that of AG. Stress levels of NAG were significantly lower than those of AG. Although so-cial support was not significantly different between groups, there was a higher tendency in NAG to have stronger social support compared to AG. In conclusion, this study suggests that physical fitness and stress levels can be improved by playing soccer. In particular, participating in a soccer program for an extended period of time can benefit individuals who are socially alienated.

The Mediating Effect of Self-Regulation in the Association Between Poverty and Child Weight: A Systematic Review

Deficits in self-regulation (SR) have been proposed as a potential contributor to child overweight/obesity, a public health concern that disproportionately affects children living in poverty. Although poverty is known to influence SR, SR has not been considered as a potential mechanism in the association between poverty and child obesity. The aim of the current paper was to systematically review the current literature to determine whether SR is a viable mechanism in the relationship between child exposure to poverty and later risk of overweight/obesity. We systematically review and summarize literature in three related areas with the aim of generating a developmentally informed model that accounts for the consistent association between poverty and child weight, specifically how: (1) poverty relates to child weight, (2) poverty relates to child SR, and (3) SR is associated with weight. To quantify the strength of associations for each pathway, effect sizes were collected and aggregated. Findings from the studies included suggest small but potentially meaningful associations between poverty and child SR and between SR and child weight. The conceptualization and measurement of SR, however, varied across literature studies and made it difficult to determine whether SR can feasibly connect poverty to child obesity. Although SR may be a promising potential target for obesity intervention for low-income children, additional research on how SR affects risk of obesity is crucial, especially based on the lack of success of the limited number of SR-promoting interventions for improving children's weight outcomes.

Annual Research Review: Rethinking childhood trauma-new research directions for measurement, study design and analytical strategies

Childhood trauma is a key modifiable risk factor for psychopathology. Despite significant scientific advances, traumatised children still have poorer long-term outcomes than nontraumatised children. New research paradigms are, thus, needed. To this end, the review examines three dominant assumptions about measurement, design and analytical strategies. Current research warns against using prospective and retrospective measures of childhood trauma interchangeably; against interpreting cross-sectional differences in putative mediating mechanisms between adults with or without a history of childhood trauma as evidence of longitudinal changes from pre-trauma conditions; and against directly applying explanatory models of resilience or vulnerability to psychopathology in traumatised children to forecast individual risk in unseen cases. The warnings equally apply to research on broader measures of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Further research examining these assumptions can generate new insights on how to prevent childhood trauma and its detrimental effects.

Cumulative Effects of Bullying and Racial Discrimination on Adolescent Health in Australia

This study examined how cumulative exposure to racial discrimination and bullying victimization influences the health of Australian adolescents (n = 2802) aged 10 to 11 years (19.3% visible ethnic minorities [nonwhite, non-Indigenous]; 2.6% Indigenous) using data from three waves (2010-2014) of the nationally representative Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Cumulative exposure to racial discrimination and bullying victimization had incremental negative effects on socioemotional difficulties. Higher accumulated exposure to both stressors across time was associated with increased body mass index z-scores and risk of overweight/obesity. Studies that examine exposure to single risk factors such as bullying victimization or racial discrimination at one time point only are likely to miss key determinants of health for adolescents from stigmatized racial-ethnic backgrounds and underestimate their stressor burden.

Predictors of victimization among youth who are overweight in a national sample

OBJECTIVES

The current cross-sectional study examined whether children who are overweight experience greater levels of parent-reported bullying behaviors and victimization using a national sample. Additionally, the relations among child (mental health), family (parent-child sharing of information), and contextual factors (neighborhood safety, school engagement) and risk of victimization in children who are overweight were assessed.

METHODS

Caregivers provided data via the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health. A series of multinomial logistic regressions were conducted with the subsample of children aged 10 to 17 years (N = 26 094).

RESULTS

Youth who were overweight were more likely to be victimized, but not more likely to bully. Being engaged in school and neighborhood safety were protective factors among youth who were overweight, while living in families where information is shared and difficulty making friends were risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Children who were overweight were more likely to be victims, rather than perpetrators, of bullying. Health professionals should assess family and contextual factors in relation to victimization status when developing interventions.

Evidences of the association between individual attributes and bullying: a cross-sectional study with adolescents from Florianópolis, Santa Catarina State, Brazil

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of bullying and to verify the association between nutritional status, demographic and socioeconomic factors, and individual attributes among schoolchildren aged from 11 to 14 years. This is cross-sectional study with a probabilistic sample of 975 adolescents attending public and private schools in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina State, Brazil. Bullying was investigated with a self-administered questionnaire by applying Item Response Theory and dichotomized according to victimization or not. Body mass index (BMI) was classified according to the World Health Organization criteria. Data such as age, school type and location, household income, as well as the education background of the parents were collected by a questionnaire given to the parents. Crude and adjusted analyses were performed using logistic regression. The prevalence of victims of bullying and of overweight/obese adolescents was 13.2% and 29%, respectively. No association was found between bullying and age, sex, school type, mother's education, household income, and overweight/obesity. The crude analysis model indicated that overweight/obese adolescents and those with individual attributes (fat, thin, tall, short, good-looking, ugly, from a different ethnic background, rich, poor, with a disability and/or other) had a greater chance of being bullied. In the analysis model adjusted by household income and stratified by sex, boys were discriminated for being fat, good-looking, ugly, or for having a disability, while girls were discriminated for being fat, tall, short, ugly, rich, poor, among other individual attributes.

Body mass index, peer victimization, and body dissatisfaction across 7 years of childhood and adolescence: Evidence of moderated and mediated pathways

Numerous studies have reported that children and adolescents who are overweight are more likely to get bullied, yet the literature is replete with methodological limitations. We examined the transactional associations between peer victimization and body mass index (BMI), considering potential mediating (body dissatisfaction) and moderating (biological sex) factors. Participants (n = 631) came from the McMaster Teen Study, where students were assessed annually between Grades 5-11, approximately half were girls (53.9%), and the majority were white (76.4%). Peer victimization (from Grade 5) and body dissatisfaction (from Grade 6) were self-reported by students, while parents reported their child's height and weight (from Grade 5). Cascade models were built up sequentially using path analysis across 2-year increments (Grades 5, 7, 9, and 11). The final model had excellent fit to the data (χ²  = 73.961, df = 66, p = 0.234). Grade 5 peer victimization had a direct effect on BMI across a 2-year period in girls (b = 0.59, SE = 0.21, p = 0.005) and boys (b = 0.82, SE = 0.30, p = 0.006), and an indirect effect on BMI via body dissatisfaction across a 4-year period (b = 0.074, 95% CI = 0.012-0.152, p = 0.036). At no point did BMI directly increase risk for peer victimization, yet there were indirect effects via body dissatisfaction among girls but not boys. Peer victimization and body dissatisfaction were proximally and longitudinally related at every time point and there was a transactional association in late-adolescence among girls but not boys. Targeting modifiable factors in the social (peer victimization) and psychological (body dissatisfaction) domains may limit accelerated weight gain and the health risks associated with excess adiposity.

Annual Research Review: The persistent and pervasive impact of being bullied in childhood and adolescence: implications for policy and practice

BACKGROUND

We have known for some time that being bullied was associated with children's and adolescents' adjustment difficulties and well-being. In recent years, we have come to recognise that the impact of childhood bullying victimisation on the development of mental health problems is more complex. This paper aims to review the evidence for an independent contribution of childhood bullying victimisation to the development of poor outcomes throughout the life span, including mental, physical and socioeconomic outcomes, and discuss the implications for policy and practice.

FINDINGS

Existing research indicates that (a) being bullied in childhood is associated with distress and symptoms of mental health problems. This large body of evidence supports actions aimed at reducing the occurrence of bullying behaviours; (b) the consequences of childhood bullying victimisation can persist up to midlife and, in addition to mental health, can impact physical and socioeconomic outcomes. These new findings indicate that interventions should also focus on supporting victims of bullying and helping them build resilience; (c) research has identified some factors that predispose children to be targeted by bullying behaviours. These studies suggest that public health interventions could aim at preventing children from becoming the target of bullying behaviours from an early age.

CONCLUSIONS

It is a truism to emphasise that further work is needed to understand why and how young people's aspirations are often cut short by this all too common adverse social experience. In parallel, we must develop effective strategies to tackle this form of abuse and its consequences for the victims. Addressing bullying in childhood could not only reduce children's and adolescents' mental health symptoms but also prevent psychiatric and socioeconomic difficulties up to adulthood and reduce considerable costs for society.

Childhood victimization and inflammation in young adulthood: A genetically sensitive cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Childhood victimization is an important risk factor for later immune-related disorders. Previous evidence has demonstrated that childhood victimization is associated with elevated levels of inflammation biomarkers measured decades after exposure. However, it is unclear whether this association is (1) already detectable in young people, (2) different in males and females, and (3) confounded by genetic liability to inflammation. Here we sought to address these questions.

METHOD

Participants were 2232 children followed from birth to age 18years as part of the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study. Childhood victimization was measured prospectively from birth to age 12years. Inflammation was measured through C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in dried blood spots at age 18years. Latent genetic liability for high inflammation levels was assessed through a twin-based method.

RESULTS

Greater exposure to childhood victimization was associated with higher CRP levels at age 18 (serum-equivalent means were 0.65 in non-victimized Study members, 0.74 in those exposed to one victimization type, and 0.81 in those exposed to poly-victimization; p=0.018). However, this association was driven by a significant association in females (serum-equivalent means were 0.75 in non-victimized females, 0.87 in those exposed to one type of victimization, and 1.19 in those exposed to poly-victimization; p=0.010), while no significant association was observed in males (p=0.19). Victimized females showed elevated CRP levels independent of latent genetic influence, as well as childhood socioeconomic status, and waist-hip ratio and body temperature at the time of CRP assessment.

CONCLUSION

Childhood victimization is associated with elevated CRP levels in young women, independent of latent genetic influences and other key risk factors. These results strengthen causal inference about the effects of childhood victimization on inflammation levels in females by accounting for potential genetic confounding.

Neural and Endocrine Correlates of Early Life Abuse in Youth With Depression and Obesity

Depression and insulin resistance are becoming increasingly prevalent in younger populations. The origin and consequence of insulin resistance in depressed youth may, in part, be rooted in exposure to environmental stressors, such as early life abuse, that may lead to aberrant brain motivational networks mediating maladaptive food-seeking behaviors and insipient insulin resistance. In this paper, we aimed to investigate the impact of early life abuse on the development of insulin resistance in depressed and overweight youth aged 9 to 17 years. We hypothesized that youth with the greatest burden of early life abuse would have the highest levels of insulin resistance and corresponding aberrant reward network connectivities. To test this hypothesis, we evaluated sixty-nine depressed and overweight youth aged 9 to 17, using multimodal assessments of early life abuse, food-seeking behavior, and insulin resistance. Based on results of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), we separated our study participants into two groups: 35 youth who reported high levels of the sum of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse and 34 youth who reported insignificant or no levels of any abuse. Results of an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and resting state functional connectivity (RSFC), using the amygdala, insula, and nucleus accumbens (NAcc) as seed-based reward network regions of interest, were analyzed for group differences between high abuse and low abuse groups. High abuse youth exhibited differences from low abuse youth in amygdala-precuneus, NAcc-paracingulate gyrus, and NAcc-prefrontal cortex connectivities, that correlated with levels of abuse experienced. The more different their connectivity from of that of low abuse youth, the higher were their fasting glucose and glucose at OGTT endpoint. Importantly, level of abuse moderated the relation between reward network connectivity and OGTT glucose response. In contrast, low abuse youth showed hyperinsulinemia and more insulin resistance than high abuse youth, and their higher OGTT insulin areas under the curve correlated with more negative insula-precuneus connectivity. Our findings suggest distinct neural and endocrine profiles of youth with depression and obesity based on their histories of early life abuse.

Bullying and negative appearance feedback among adolescents: Is it objective or misperceived weight that matters?

This study investigated (1) whether involvement in bullying as a bully, victim or bully-victim was associated with objectively measured overweight or underweight, or whether it was related to weight misperception (i.e., inaccurate perceptions), and (2) whether appearance-specific feedback mediated the relationship between bullying and weight misperception. In Stage 1, 2782 adolescents aged 11-16 years from British secondary schools were screened for peer bullying and victimisation. In Stage 2, 411 adolescents with weight and height data (objective n = 319, self-report n = 92) also self-reported on their weight perception and appearance-specific feedback. Neither bullying nor victimisation were related to objective underweight or overweight. Victims were at increased odds of overweight misperception, while bully-victims were at increased odds of underweight misperception. Additionally, there was an indirect effect of appearance feedback on overweight misperception in bully-victims. Both victims and bully-victims are at increased risk of weight misperception, posing further detrimental effects to their health and wellbeing.

Childhood and Adolescent Adversity and Cardiometabolic Outcomes: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Adverse experiences in childhood and adolescence, defined as subjectively perceived threats to the safety or security of the child's bodily integrity, family, or social structures, are known to be associated with cardiometabolic outcomes over the life course into adulthood. This American Heart Association scientific statement reviews the scientific literature on the influence of childhood adversity on cardiometabolic outcomes that constitute the greatest public health burden in the United States, including obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. This statement also conceptually outlines pathways linking adversity to cardiometabolic health, identifies evidence gaps, and provides suggestions for future research to inform practice and policy. We note that, despite a lack of objective agreement on what subjectively qualifies as exposure to childhood adversity and a dearth of prospective studies, substantial evidence documents an association between childhood adversity and cardiometabolic outcomes across the life course. Future studies that focus on mechanisms, resiliency, and vulnerability factors would further strengthen the evidence and provide much-needed information on targets for effective interventions. Given that childhood adversities affect cardiometabolic health and multiple health domains across the life course, interventions that ameliorate these initial upstream exposures may be more appropriate than interventions remediating downstream cardiovascular disease risk factor effects later in life.

Concurrent and Longitudinal Contribution of Exposure to Bullying in Childhood to Mental Health: The Role of Vulnerability and Resilience

IMPORTANCE

Exposure to bullying is associated with poor mental health. However, the degree to which observed associations reflect direct detrimental contributions of exposure to bullying to mental health remains uncertain, as noncausal relationships may arise from genetic and environmental confounding (eg, preexisting vulnerabilities). Determining to what extent exposure to bullying contributes to mental health is an important concern, with implications for primary and secondary interventions.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the concurrent and longitudinal contribution of exposure to bullying to mental health in childhood and adolescence using a twin differences design to strengthen causal inference.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Participants were drawn from the Twins Early Development Study, a population-based cohort recruited from population records of births in England and Wales between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 1996. Data collection took place when the participants were between 11 and 16 years of age from December 1, 2005, to January 31, 2013. Data analysis was conducted from January 1, 2016, to June 20, 2017.

EXPOSURES

Participants completed the Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale at 11 and 14 years of age.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Mental health assessments at 11 and 16 years of age included anxiety, depression, hyperactivity and impulsivity, inattention, conduct problems, and psychotic-like experiences (eg, paranoid thoughts or cognitive disorganization).

RESULTS

The 11 108 twins included in the final sample (5894 girls and 5214 boys) were a mean age of 11.3 years at the first assessment and 16.3 years at the last assessment. The most stringent twin differences estimates (monozygotic) were consistent with causal contribution of exposure to bullying at 11 years to concurrent anxiety, depression, hyperactivity and impulsivity, inattention, and conduct problems. Effects decreased over time; that is, substantial concurrent contributions to anxiety (β = 0.27; 95% CI, 0.22-0.33) persisted for 2 years (β = 0.12; 95% CI, 0.04-0.20) but not 5 years. Direct contributions to paranoid thoughts and cognitive disorganization persisted for 5 years.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This study is the largest to date to characterize the contribution of exposure to bullying in childhood to mental health using a twin differences design and multi-informant, multiscale data. Stringent evidence of the direct detrimental contribution of exposure to bullying in childhood to mental health is provided. Findings also suggest that childhood exposure to bullying may partly be viewed as a symptom of preexisting vulnerabilities. Finally, the dissipation of effects over time for many outcomes highlights the potential for resilience in children who were bullied. In addition to programs that aim to reduce exposure to bullying, interventions may benefit from addressing preexisting vulnerabilities and focus on resilience.

Mechanisms Underlying the Association Between Early-Life Adversity and Physical Health: Charting a Course for the Future

Early-life adversities (ELA) are associated with subsequent pervasive alterations across a wide range of neurobiological systems and psychosocial factors that contribute to accelerated onset of health problems and diseases. In this article, we provide an integrated perspective on recent developments in research on ELA, based on the articles published in this Special Issue of Psychosomatic Medicine. We focus on the following: 1) the distinction between specific versus general aspects of ELA with regard to the nature of exposure (e.g., physical and sexual abuse, emotional abuse or neglect, relative socioeconomic deprivation), biological and behavioral correlates of ELA, and differences across diseases; 2) the importance of timing in the critical phases of exposure to ELA; and 3) adaptive versus dysfunctional responses to ELA and their consequences for biological and behavioral risk factors for adverse health outcomes. This article concludes with outlining important new targets for research in this area, including the neurobiology of affect as a mechanism linking ELA to adverse health outcomes, and the need for large-scale longitudinal investigations of multisystem processes relevant to ELA in diverse samples, starting prenatally, continuing to late adolescence, and with long-term follow-up assessments that enable evaluation of incident disease outcomes.