Body dissatisfaction and weight-related teasing: a model of cognitive vulnerability to depression among women
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Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
Published on: May 31, 2021
Jessica S Benas1, Dorothy J Uhrlass, Brandon E Gibb
1Binghamton University (SUNY), Binghamton, NY 13902, USA. jessica.benas@binghamton.edu
Abstract:
Although a number of studies have linked body dissatisfaction to depressive symptoms, few have done so within the framework of a vulnerability-stress model. We hypothesized that women's levels of body dissatisfaction would interact with recent experiences of vulnerability-congruent negative life events (i.e., weight-related teasing) to predict prospective changes in depressive symptoms. Consistent with these hypotheses, experiences of weight-related teasing were more strongly related to depressive symptom increases among women with high, compared to low, levels of body dissatisfaction. These results support the hypothesis that body dissatisfaction moderates the impact of weight-related teasing on depressive symptom changes.
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