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The distinct effects of internalizing weight bias: An experimental study
Rebecca L Pearl1, Rebecca M Puhl2
1Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Suite 3022, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States.
Body Image
|March 2, 2016
Summary
Internalizing weight bias, rather than just experiencing it, more strongly predicts negative mental health outcomes like low self-esteem and poor affect. This highlights the impact of internalized weight stigma.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Weight bias, encompassing both experienced and internalized forms, is linked to adverse mental and physical health.
- Internalization of weight bias may be a more significant determinant of negative health outcomes than direct experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differential causal effects of experiencing versus internalizing weight bias on emotional responses and psychological well-being.
- To compare the impact of focusing on weight bias experiences versus internalization on affect, self-esteem, and body dissatisfaction.
Main Methods:
- An online experiment involving 260 adults with overweight or obesity.
- Random assignment to conditions focusing on either the experience or internalization of weight bias.
- Measurement of affect, self-esteem, and body dissatisfaction post-manipulation.
Main Results:
- The internalization condition resulted in significantly more negative affect, less positive affect, and lower self-esteem compared to the experience condition.
- Heightened body dissatisfaction was observed in the internalization condition for men, but not for women.
- These findings suggest a stronger detrimental impact of internalized weight bias.
Conclusions:
- Internalization of weight bias appears to be a more potent predictor of negative psychological outcomes than the mere experience of bias.
- The study underscores the critical role of internalized weight stigma in mental and physical health disparities.
- Findings have implications for designing targeted interventions to mitigate the harmful effects of weight bias internalization.
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