Carolyn Montoya

Teasing and Bullying Experiences of Middle School Students

BACKGROUND: In the United States, 9% to 15% of children experience chronic teasing and bullying that may be harmful. OBJECTIVE: The purpose was to explore teasing and bullying experiences of middle school students as part of the Child-Adolescent Teasing Scale (CATS) project. STUDY DESIGN: Seven focus groups were conducted with 11-to 14-year-old middle school students from Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Mississippi. Moderators used a semistructured interview guide to elicit views. Recorded sessions were transcribed; content analysis of verbatim accounts was used to identify sources of teasing and bullying. RESULTS: Sources of teasing and bullying were physical appearance, personal behavior, family and environment, and school relations. “Being different in any way” was the underlying theme. CONCLUSIONS: Teasing and bullying were universal and distressing, and were affected by context, frequency, and individually attributed meanings. Clinicians and school staff may use findings to identify children who might be at risk for psychological and physical harm.

Childhood Obesity: A Wilsonian Concept Analysis

The rate of childhood obesity in the United States has tripled since 1980, with approximately 17% of U.S. children between the ages of 2 and 19 years currently identified as obese. Although a multitude of programs have been implemented to prevent and treat childhood obesity, no single strategy has been identified as the most effective method. Part of the problem in identifying successful interventions is clarifying what is meant by the term obesity as it applies to children. This article provides a concept analysis of the term obesity in relation to children using a Wilsonian approach.