Bracing for impact: An intensive longitudinal investigation of weight stigma, vigilant coping, and maladaptive eating

Interpersonal weight stigma (being teased, treated unfairly, or discriminated against for body weight) increases one's stress and negatively impacts their well-being. Weight stigma consistently increases maladaptive eating behaviors, such as eating to cope, binge eating, and restrictive dieting. Previously published cross-sectional models suggest that vigilant coping (being on the lookout for future discrimination) is one way in which weight stigma may impact maladaptive eating behaviors, especially as internalized weight stigma (self-stigma) increases. This study aimed to analyze these relationships longitudinally using ecological momentary assessments.

Female, higher weight college students (M_BMI = 32.7, SD_BMI = 6.09) from a large public midwestern university (N = 130) completed 3 surveys per day for 7 days, reporting their vigilant coping, eating to cope, restrictive dieting, and binge eating. Data was collected from January 2023-February 2024. We examined the relationship between baseline experienced and internalized weight stigma and day-to-day vigilant coping. Additionally, we examined vigilant coping earlier in the day as a predictor of eating later in the day.

Experienced and internalized weight stigma did not interact to predict day-to-day vigilant coping, but they both independently predicted vigilant coping. Vigilant coping earlier in the day predicted restrictive dieting later in the day but did not predict emotional or binge eating. There were no significant conditional indirect effects.

This study establishes vigilant coping as a longitudinal predictor of restrictive dieting, but further research is required to understand other health behaviors and outcomes related to vigilant coping.