NEW YORK, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- A University of Michigan study of sixth graders finds the short are no more likely to be bullied than other students.
But short people tell ABC News that was not their experience, either in school or as adults.
"I wish that were true," said Matt Campisi, chairman of the National Organization of Short Statured Adults. "Most of the members would love that to be the reality, but unfortunately the feedback we receive from parents is the complete opposite."
The Michigan researchers tracked 712 sixth-graders of a range of heights. They found the short were comparable to their peers in "exclusion, social support, popularity, victimization, depressive symptoms, optimism or behavioral problems."
The study was published this week in Pediatrics.
Campisi said his group gets letters from parents so desperate about bullying they are considering trying to have their children treated with human growth hormone.
Once they are grown up, the short still face discrimination, Campisi said. Men are most likely to complain about being rejected as romantic partners, while women say they are treated like children at work.
