Association between Bullying Victimization and Child Abuse and Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder among Lebanese Adolescents:...

Childhood abuse is still a prevalent problem in modern societies. Adolescents with a history of harm become increasingly susceptible to being bullied. One of the overlooked physical and mental damage seems centered around altered perception of one's body such as muscle dysmorphia. This study assesses the correlation between abuse, bullying victimization and dysmorphia, taking into consideration the co-moderating role of mindfulness and social support among Lebanese adolescents. A convenient sample of 403 participants aged 15 to 18 was included in the study. Adolescents filled demographic questions as well as standardized questionnaires for childhood abuse (Child Abuse Self-Report Scale), bullying victimization (The Illinois Bully scale), muscle dysmorphia (Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder Inventory), social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) and mindfulness (The Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory). Our results show a significant correlation between history of abuse and bullying in adolescents and pathological concerns over their body. We further illustrate that factors such as mindfulness and a network of support, although negatively correlating with the psychopathological concerns, do not mediate the relationship between abuse, bullying and dysmorphia. Inasmuch as participants with higher levels of mindfulness and social support report less victimization and dysmorphia, taken alone, they are not enough to curb the burden of childhood-induced distress in teens. Addressing this remains a major challenge to avoid long term worsening of physical and mental health during the sensitive developmental stages at school.