“What we found was that the perception of being overweight has a much stronger effect of suicidal ideation than the objective measure of weight,” said Philip Baiden, an associate professor of social work at UTA and lead author of the study.

Dr. Baiden conducted the research with fellow UTA social work Associate Professor Catherine LaBrenz, along with researchers from UT Dallas, Texas Woman’s University, Florida International University, New York University, Simmons University and the University of Ghana.

“This finding ties neatly into recent calls to reconsider how accurate BMI is as a tool for diagnosing individuals as overweight or obese,” Baiden said.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Psychiatry Research, the researchers examined data from more than 39,000 individuals age 14 to 18 obtained from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Behavior Risk Survey. It considered factors such as socioeconomic status, family dynamics, academic pressures and adverse childhood experiences.

The pooled data from 2015 to 2021 included both self-reported data from adolescents as well as information obtained from caregivers and school records. This comprehensive approach allowed researchers to identify the relationship between weight perceptions and the increased likelihood of mental health issues.

“Even after adjusting for established suicidal ideation risk factors such as feelings of hopelessness, bullying, cyberbullying, substance use and demographic variables, we still found a connection between how adolescents feel about their weight and whether they are considering self-harm,” Dr. LaBrenz, a co-author of the study, said. “We also found that females were more at risk than males at perceiving themselves to be overweight.”

The study also highlights the critical role of schools, families and communities in creating supportive environments that can help improve adolescents’ self-perceptions, the former because they can offer mental health resources and foster a positive and inclusive atmosphere.

“By investing in preventive measures and early-intervention programs,” Baiden said, “it is possible to reduce the long-term burden on the health care system and improve the quality of life for young people.”