Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2026

Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
The effect of perceived body weight on suicidal ideation among a representative sample of US adolescents
1Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA. seo@indiana.edu
Abstract:
There is no published report on the sex differences in the prospective influence of perceived body weight on suicidal ideation in adolescents. To examine sex differences in the longitudinal relationship between perceived body weight and suicidal ideation among a representative sample of US middle and high school students. Two waves of longitudinal data from 7th-12th grade US adolescents (N = 4,717) in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were analyzed using hierarchical multivariable logistic regression for suicidal ideation 1 year after perceived body weight was measured. Overweight perception significantly increased the risk for suicidal ideation in girls (adjusted odds ratio in the full model = 1.41, p < .05) but not in boys after controlling for previously well-documented risk factors of suicidal ideation. Overweight perception appears to increase the risk for suicidal ideation in girls. It is important to address perceived body weight among girls in suicide prevention interventions.
Related Concept Videos
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Bullying
Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Sources of Self-Esteem I: Family Experience

