Association between Body-Shaming Occurrences and Self-Harm Behavior in Undergraduate Students

Introduction: Body-shaming involves making negative comments about someone’s physical appearance, which can be intentional or unintentional. It is a form of verbal abuse that may cause psychological effects such as depression, anxiety, and poor self-image. Prolonged body-shaming can lead to stress and, when combined with maladaptive coping mechanisms, may result in self-harm behavior. This study aimed to investigate the association between body-shaming and self-harm behavior among undergraduates at Diponegoro University. Methods: This analytical observational study used a cross-sectional design. Participants were undergraduate students at Diponegoro University who completed a self-administered questionnaire. Inclusion criteria mandated that participants be actively enrolled undergraduates, whereas exclusion criteria encompassed refusal to participate and the presence of psychiatric or physical comorbidities or disabilities. Body-shaming occurrences were measured using a body-shaming questionnaire, and self-harm behaviors were measured using the self-harm inventory (SHI). Data were analyzed using the chi-square test. Results: A total of 481 students met the study criteria, comprising 85 males and 396 females, aged 16-22 years. A significant correlation was found between experiences of body-shaming and self-harm behavior (p=0.004). Body shaming was associated with a higher risk of self-harm (OR=2.09; 95% CI=1.22-3.57). However, there was no significant correlation between gender and the occurrence of body-shaming (p=0.931). Conclusion: There was a significant correlation between body-shaming and self-harm behavior. These findings highlight the importance of addressing body-shaming in academic environments to help reduce self-harming behaviors among students, for example, by providing free mental health consultations and anti-body-shaming campaigns.