Peer Victimization and Depressive Symptoms: The Role of Body Dissatisfaction and Self-Esteem

Abstract

Research has suggested that different forms of negative cognitions contribute risk to the development of depressive symptoms. What remains unclear is whether there is specificity regarding the relation between childhood experiences and young adults’ current cognitions and whether these cognitions each contribute unique risk to depressive symptoms or whether they interact to predict increased depression risk. The primary goal of the current study was to examine the relation between depressive symptoms and young adults’ histories of negative childhood events (e.g., weight-related teasing) and whether certain types of negative cognitions (e.g., body dissatisfaction) mediate this relation. Supporting our specificity hypothesis, low self-esteem mediated the link between general peer verbal victimization during childhood and current depressive symptoms, and body dissatisfaction mediated the link between weight-related teasing during childhood and current depressive symptoms. In addition, supporting the interactive nature of forms of cognitive vulnerability, low levels of self-esteem, combined with high levels of body dissatisfaction, were associated with the highest levels of depressive symptoms.