How teens perceive their weight may have greater effect on suicidal ideation than actual BMI

Relying solely on BMI as an indicator of risk may cause clinicians to overlook adolescents who appear physically healthy but are silently struggling with body dissatisfaction and mental health issues, according to Philip Baiden, associate professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington. He and colleagues examined perceived weight versus actual weight and how these relate to mental health issues in 61,298 adolescents ages 12 to 18.The findings, published in Psychiatry Research, highlighted the need for a more holistic approach that include mental and emotional well-being when assessing the health impacts of weight. “Clinicians must be trained to identify the psychological dimensions of health and adolescent patients to appropriate support services when needed. Additionally, educational efforts aimed at promoting body positivity and self-acceptance should be integrated into both medical and school-based interventions,” Baiden told the Medical Post.The study examined the association between perceived weight, actual weight and suicidal ideation among adolescents. The researchers used a nationally representative sample from the Youth Behavior Risk Survey (YRBS) between 2015 and 2021. They examined the cross-sectional association between objective and perceived weight and suicidal ideation, examining gender differences as well. They found that perception of being overweight regardless of actual BMI was associated with higher odds of suicidal ideation in females. However, males with a high BMI, but who did not perceive themselves to be overweight had lower odds of suicidal ideation.“Our study revealed a compelling and somewhat unexpected finding that adolescents' perception of their weight, rather than their actual BMI, is more strongly associated with suicidal ideation. Even after accounting for known risk factors such as substance use, victimization and mental health struggles, the link between weight perception and suicidal ideation remained significant,” said Baiden.The team conducted a series of logistic regressions to examine perceived weight, BMI and suicidal ideation after adjusting for demographic and control variables. In this cohort, approximately one in five adolescents reported suicidal ideation. In the multivariable analyses, the team found that adolescents who perceived themselves as overweight and had BMI ≥ 85th percentile had 1.48 times higher odds of reporting suicidal ideation. Adolescents who perceived themselves as overweight but had BMI

How teens perceive their weight may have greater effect on suicidal ideation than actual BMI

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