On being victimized by peers in the advent of adolescence: Prospective relationships to objectified body consciousness

Previous research indicates that peer victimization is tied to children's negative appearance evaluations. The current study examines whether early peer victimization is also prospectively related to objectified body consciousness. Six-hundred-and-two Swedish boys and girls answered questionnaires at age 10, and again at age 18. Main findings showed that being the target of peer victimization at age 10 was related to more habitual appearance monitoring and body shame at age 18. Gender moderated the relations between victimization and body shame, with victimized girls experiencing stronger body shame than victimized boys. Additionally, whereas boys experienced less body shame than girls, they were equally likely to monitor their appearance. In sum, this study provides preliminary support to the notion that peer victimization is involved in the processes by which young adolescents’ self-objectify. Future studies are warranted to further validate these findings.

► Being the target of peer victimization in early adolescence is predictive of self-surveillance and body shame in late adolescence.
► Girls with frequent peer victimization experiences display more body shame than victimized boys.
► While boys in the present study were less ashamed of their bodies than girls, they were equally likely to engage in habitual appearance monitoring.