United States: A disturbing expert research demonstrates healthy-weight young adults face greater self-harm risks when they feel they are overweight based on new evidence.
More about the news
According to study lead author Philip Baiden, “What we found was that the perception of being overweight has a much stronger effect of suicidal ideation than the objective measure of weight,” US News reported.
The social work scholar Baiden maintains his position as associate professor at the University of Texas at Arlington.
The research team of Baiden studied more than 39,000 US teens aged 14 to 18 through 2015-2021 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey data.
The research analyzed important elements in teenagers’ daily lives, including their financial status, family structure, school demands, and childhood hardships.
Causal information about teenagers came from both parents and guardians, as well as school documentation.
The Texas team dedicated attention to self-reported suicidal thoughts that students shared through the surveys operated by the CDC.
What more have the findings suggested?
According to study findings, teens who considered themselves overweight faced three times more chances of developing intrusive thoughts.
According to the study co-author Catherine LaBrenz, “Even after adjusting for established suicidal ideation risk factors such as feelings of hopelessness, bullying, cyberbullying, substance use, and demographic variables, we still found a connection between how adolescents feel about their weight and whether they are considering self-harm,” US News reported.
“We also found that females were more at risk than males at perceiving themselves to be overweight,” added LaBrenz, who is an associate professor of social work at the university.
The research team explained that parents, together with families and school communities, should unite to build adolescent self-respect, which stops psychological emergencies from developing.
Furthermore, “By investing in preventive measures and early-intervention programs,” “it is possible to reduce the long-term burden on the health care system and improve the quality of life for young people,” Baiden added.
Any person experiencing a mental health crisis can receive professional support day or night by contacting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.