title: What determines well-being in obesity? Associations with BMI, social skills, and social support.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Theory and research suggest that the stigma associated with obesity has an impact on the development of social skills and social relationships which may be related to subjective well-being. The main objective was to clarify the associations between BMI (kg/m2), social skills, social support and subjective well-being in a sample of obese subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study of 226 obese adults (75 females and 151 males) from the general population between the ages of 19 and 74 [mean (SD), 46.9 (13.7) years]. Mean (SD) BMI of the subjects was 36 (5.3).
  
  
  METHODS
  subjective well-being was measured by the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) and by the Positive And Negative Affect Scales (PANAS). Social support was assessed with scales of the Social Support Questionnaire F-SozU and social skills with a short form of the German Insecurity Questionnaire U-24.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hierarchical regression analysis showed that social support and social skill measures are relevant predictors of subjective well-being (with both independent and shared influences), while BMI is not. The obese people in our study neither differed from other comparison groups in their subjective well-being, nor did they report greater impairments in social skills or social support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BMI does not seem to be the major determinant of low subjective well-being in obesity. As in healthy controls, subjective well-being is principally associated with social skills and social support.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Psychology, Philipps-University of Marburg, D-35032 Marburg, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Rheinische Kliniken Essen, Germany. dierk@staff.uni-marburg.de
authors.forename: Jan-Michael
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Dierk
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Conradt
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rauh
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schlumberger
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hebebrand
authors.forename: Winfried
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rief
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires