Weight perception and suicide-related outcomes among high school students who were administered the national Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey in 2011

Recent research shows that body dissatisfaction is related to suicide-related outcomes and, perhaps, partially mediates the relationship between obesity and suicidal ideation and attempt. Given the increase in obesity among youth over the last decade and the rising interest in youth suicide, this paper further examines the association between weight perception and non-fatal suicide-related outcomes (ideation, planning, and attempt) among youth.

This is a cross-sectional study of publicly available data from the 2011 nationally administered Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey. Multivariate logistic models were built and regression was performed to measure the associations between perceived weight and suicide-related outcomes. Final models controlled for moderating, mediating, and confounding factors, which include demographic characteristics, bullying, unhealthy weight control behaviors, and prolonged sadness.

Final models were different for all suicide-related outcomes. Results showed that students who perceived themselves to be slightly or very overweight had higher odds of seriously considering suicide, when controlling for demographic characteristics, bullying, prolonged sadness, and engaging in 1 or more unhealthy weight control behaviors. However, students who perceived themselves to be slightly or very overweight did not have higher odds of making a plan to commit suicide or attempting suicide when controlling for demographic characteristics, bullying, prolonged sadness, and engaging in 1 or more unhealthy weight control behaviors.

Further research is needed to elucidate the relationship between weight perceptions and suicide-related outcomes; however, these results implicate the importance of weight perception in primary prevention of youth suicide and the need to dissect components of the youth suicide continuum.