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DOI: 10.1007/s10964-005-9012-7Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 35, No. 2, April 2006, pp. 189 ( C 2006)Body Dissatisfaction and Physical Development Among
Ethnic Minority AdolescentsAdrienne Nishina,1 Natalie Y. Ammon,2 Amy D. Bellmore,3 and Sandra Graham4Received August 26, 2005; accepted November 7, 2005
Published online: 23 March 2006The present study examined the association between body dissatisfaction and adjustment, and the role
physical development plays in this association, in an ethnically diverse sample of over 1100 urban,
ninth grade boys and girls (M age = 14). More similarities than differences were found across ethnic
groups: Caucasian, African American, Latino, Asian, and multiethnic boys reported similar areas of
body dissatisfaction, levels of body dissatisfaction, and associations between body dissatisfaction and
psychosocial maladjustment. For girls, only mean level differences were found with African American
girls reporting lower levels of body dissatisfaction than girls from other ethnic backgrounds. Higher
levels of body dissatisfaction predicted more psychological and social maladjustment for both boys
and girls. For boys, faster development predicted stronger associations between feeling overweight and
peer victimization. Feeling too small only predicted victimization if boys were actually low in physical
development. For girls, physical development directly predicted less peer victimization, while perceived faster development predicted more victimization. Thus, it appears that physical development
can protect both girls (directly) and boys (buffering against the negative effects of body dissatisfaction) from peer victimization, whereas perceived faster timing of development can exacerbate peer
victimization.KEY WORDS: body dissatisfaction; physical development; ethnicity; adolescence; psychological adjustment;
peer victimization.1Adrienne Nishina conducted this research as an NIH postdoctoral fellow in the UCLA Department of Education. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human and Community Development at UC Davis. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from UCLA. Her major research interests include mental health
in schools, adolescent peer relations, and ethnic diversity; To whom
correspondence should be addressed at Department of Human and
Community Development, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616-8523; e-mail:
[email protected] Y. Ammon is a graduate student in the Department of Human
Development and Family Sciences at the University of Texas, Austin.
Her major research interests are at-risk youth and academic achievement; e-mail: [email protected] D. Bellmore is an American Psychological Association/Institute
of Educational Sciences Postdoctoral Education Research Training fellow at the University of...
