Background: Weight-related stigma has negative physiological and psychological impacts on individuals' quality of life. Stigmatized individuals may experience higher psychological distress and therefore increase the potential risk to develop obesity and/or food addiction. The present study examined the associations and mediated effect between perceived weight stigma, weight-related self-stigma, and psychological distress in explaining food addiction among Taiwanese university students.
Methods: All participants (n = 968) completed an online survey which included the Perceived Weight Stigma Questionnaire, Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire, Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21, and Yale Food Addiction Scale Version 2.
Results: After controlling for demographic variables, significant associations were found in the paths from (1) perceived weight stigma to weight-related self-stigma ([Formula: see text] = 0.23), psychological distress ([Formula: see text] = 0.35), and food addiction ([Formula: see text] = 0.23); (2) weight-related self-stigma to psychological distress ([Formula: see text] = 0.52) and food addiction ([Formula: see text] = 0.59); and (3) psychological distress to food addiction ([Formula: see text] = 0.59) (all p-values < 0.001). The mediation model showed the sequential mediated effect of weight-related self-stigma and psychological distress in the association between perceived weight stigma and food addiction.
Conclusions: The results provide novel insights that weight-related self-stigma and psychological distress sequentially mediated the relationship between perceived weight stigma and food addiction among Taiwanese university students. The findings of the present study could be implemented into interventions that aim to reduce food addiction derived from weight-related stigma. Future studies should consider group analysis to consider confounding factors or other populations to provide more evidence regarding the mechanism of weight-related stigma.
Keywords: Food addiction; Mediation model; Psychological distress; Weight bias; Weight stigma.
Weight-related stigma could cause a negative influence on both physiological and psychological status of stigmatized individuals. The possibility of developing food addiction may exacerbate obesity and further worsen weight-related stigma. The present study investigated the association between perceived weight stigma, weight-related self-stigma, and psychological distress, and food addiction among university students. The additional mediated effect was determined as well. All respondents (n = 968) completed an online survey including the Perceived Weight Stigma Questionnaire, Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire, Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21, and Yale Food Addiction Scale Version 2. Significant associations were found between all the investigated variables with the control of demographic variables. The mediation models further revealed the sequential mediated effect of weight-related self-stigma and psychological distress in the relationship of perceived weight stigma and food addiction. Accordingly, the present study provides the novel insights of the mediated role of weight-related self-stigma and psychological distress regarding the development of food addition in the mechanism of weight-related stigma. The current findings could be implemented into the development of interventions targeted on reducing the food addiction derived from weight-related stigma.
© 2022. The Author(s).