Bullying, Body Shaming, and Academic Behavior Among University Students in Nigeria

Bullying and body shaming are pervasive social issues that negatively affect students’ self-esteem, mental health, and overall academic behavior. While substantial research has been conducted on these issues in secondary schools, inadequate studies remain among university students in Nigeria. This study aimed to ascertain the significant impact of body shaming on undergraduate students’ academic behavior, investigate the relationship between body shaming and bullying among undergraduate students, and ascertain the influence of bullying on undergraduate students’ academic behavior using the structural equation model. This study was framed around the correlational survey design method; bullying and body shaming were utilized as independent variables and academic behavior was used as the dependent variable. The study respondents comprised 636 undergraduate students from private and public universities in Nigeria. The bullying, body shaming, and academic behavior questionnaire were adapted instruments used to elicit information from the participants with an acceptable composite reliability of 0.838, 0.85, and 0.841 for academic behavior, body shaming, and bullying, respectively. Data analysis was performed using SmartPLS 4.0.9.6. The study’s results revealed that both independent variables (i.e., body shaming and bullying) significantly influenced the dependent variable (i.e., undergraduate students’ academic behavior). In addition, the findings indicated a significant positive relationship between body shaming and bullying among undergraduate students. We discussed our results and made recommendations and suggestions for future directions.