Exploring Associations between Teasing as a Form of Bullying, Body Esteem, and Self-esteem

Objectives: This study examined bullying trends associated with victimization of teasing, body esteem, and self-esteem among middle school students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey method was used to collect data from 143 students in seventh grade in health classes at a middle school. Results: Overall, 52.8 % of participants admitted that they were bullied within the past 4 weeks. Of those, verbal bullying (46.5%) was the most frequently reported form of bullying experience. Conclusions: The results revealed that verbal bullying (eg, teasing) was the most frequently reported form of bullying and competency teasing and its victimization were more concerning than weight-related teasing in this study. Additional research is needed to determine if competency teasing is more prevalent than weight-related teasing among middle school students.