International Journal of Chemical and Biochemical Sciences (ISSN 2226-9614)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
VOLUME 25(19) (2024)
Verbal abuse’s effect on mental health among indigenous youth in North Toraja
Octarens Alik1*, Suriah2, Shanti Riskiyani3
1Master Program in Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, Hasanuddin University, Indonesia
2, 3Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, Faculty of Public Health, Hasanuddin University, Indonesia
Abstract
Body shaming is common in today’s society, especially in youth. It is because during the teenage years there is a huge change in physical and psychological condition. Comments on a person’s body shape, whether they meant to be kind or joking, can affect the individual’s mental health. The focus of this research is to find out about how body shaming with local expressions and its effects on mental health. The focus of this research is to find out how the effects of body shaming with local terms on mental health in youth. Qualitative research with a phenomenological study approach, using thematic analysis, by conducting FGDs on 24 adolescent girls who have been victims on body shaming with 8 participants each in 3 schools and in-depth interviews with 17 informants. This study shows that the forms of body shaming received were insulted because of physical defects, fat, thin, acne and black skin. Body shaming with local terms is still found in many interactions between adolescent girls like being called Sumbi’, Nga’ngu’, Tedong, bai, Loppok, Tammate’, Seba, Tokon, Bokko, Pante, Posu, Bolong, Pesumpa, Peparu Kalulu, and Sekko. This also affects their mental health, where adolescent girls are having symptoms of mental emotional disorders such as: depressive symptoms such as frequently feeling sad, insecure, socially isolated, having a negative perspective of themselves, decreased school performance, then anxious symptoms of complaining about their physical condition and having behavioral disorders like self-harm. Body Shaming with local terms or commenting negatively on someone’s physical condition using local terms still commonly found in the process of interaction between young women today. This has an impact on their mental health where adolescent girls who have been victims of body shaming have symptoms of mental emotional disorders.
Keywords: Verbal violence, Body shaming, Local Expressions, young girls
Full length article – PDF *Corresponding Author, e-mail: alik.octarens@gmail.com Doi # https://doi.org/10.62877/123-IJCBS-24-25-19-123