Weight stigma and mental health symptoms
Mediation by perceived stress
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15528201 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David G Figueroa, William D Murley (0000-0003-2470-1541, University of California, Los Angeles), John E Parker (0000-0001-9748-7617, University of California, Los Angeles), Jordan E Parker, Jeffrey M Hunger (0000-0002-2980-8500, Miami University), A Janet Tomiyama (0000-0002-2152-5813, University of California, Los Angeles, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Pages | 1587105-1587105 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Psychiatry (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1664-0640 • E-ISSN: 1664-0640 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1587105 |
| PMID | 40673225 |
| OpenAlex | W4411960132 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 36 |
Prior research has established that weight stigma, or social devaluation based on an individual's body size or weight, is directly related to greater depressive and anxiety symptoms. In this investigation, we apply the Cyclic Obesity/Weight-Based Stigma model to investigate if the association between weight stigma and poor mental health is mediated by greater perceived stress. We analyzed data from a census-matched sample (N=1,993) of the U.S. on age, race/ethnicity, gender, income, and census-region. Issues with missing data and mediation models were addressed using a Bayesian multiple imputation approach. Analyses controlled for Body Mass Index and sociodemographic variables as covariates. Weight stigma was directly associated with greater depressive and anxiety symptoms. Moreover, the relationship between weight stigma and greater depressive and anxiety symptoms was mediated by greater perceived stress. Perceived stress explained 37% of the relationship between weight stigma and mental health outcomes, even after accounting for Body Mass Index. These results provide evidence for weight stigma as an important psychosocial stressor that contributes to poor mental health outcomes
Anxiety · Body mass index · Mental health · Overweight · Psychiatry · Psychosocial · Stigma (botany · Weight stigma · Clinical Psychology · Eating Disorders and Behaviors · Humor Studies and Applications · Medicine · Obesity and Health Practices · Psychology
Weight-related stigma and psychological distress
A novel measure of effect size for mediation analysis.
Impact of weight stigma on physiological and psychological health outcomes for overweight and obese adults
Obesity and discrimination – a systematic review and meta‐analysis of observational studies
Weighed Down by Stigma
Best (but oft-forgotten) practices
Controlling social desirability bias
G*Power 3
The Psychological Weight of Weight Stigma
The Stress of Stigma
Experiences of weight stigma in everyday life
Efficiency of static and computer adaptive short forms compared to full-length measures of depressive symptoms
Weight stigma is stressful. A review of evidence for the Cyclic Obesity/Weight-Based Stigma model
A daily diary assessment of female weight stigmatization
Racial Differences in Physical and Mental Health
Social class stigma and poorer health behaviors
A Global Measure of Perceived Stress
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |