Coping with weight stigma: development and validation of a Brief Coping Responses Inventory

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Weight stigma is a prevalent issue for individuals who are overweight or obese.
• Limited research exists on how individuals cope with weight-related stigma.
• Existing measures, like the 99-item Coping Responses Inventory (CRI), are lengthy and may hinder widespread use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a brief, 10-item measure to assess coping responses to weight stigma.
• To create a concise tool that facilitates research on weight stigma and coping mechanisms.
• To differentiate between adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies in response to weight stigma.

Main Methods:

• The study involved four separate research studies with a total of 1,391 participants.
• A brief 10-item Coping Responses Inventory (Brief CRI) was developed.
• The Brief CRI was validated to assess reappraisal and disengagement coping.

Main Results:

• The Brief CRI demonstrated reliability and validity in assessing coping with weight stigma.
• Two core coping subscales were identified: reappraisal (adaptive) and disengagement (maladaptive).
• Reappraisal coping correlated with greater well-being, while disengagement coping correlated with poorer well-being.

Conclusions:

• The Brief CRI is a quick and effective instrument for measuring coping strategies related to weight stigma.
• This brief measure can advance the understanding of the psychological and social consequences of weight stigma.
• The findings support the utility of the Brief CRI in clinical and research settings for assessing weight stigma coping.