title: The distinct effects of internalizing weight bias: An experimental study.
abstract: Both experiencing and internalizing weight bias are associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes, but internalization may be a more potent predictor of these outcomes. The current study aimed to differentiate between causal effects of experiencing versus internalizing weight bias on emotional responses and psychological well-being. Adults with overweight/obesity (N=260) completed an online experiment in which they were randomly assigned to focus on either the experience or internalization of weight bias, and completed measures of affect, self-esteem, and body dissatisfaction. Results indicated that the Internalization condition led to more negative affect, less positive affect, and lower self-esteem than the Experience condition. The Internalization condition also led to heightened body dissatisfaction among men, but not women. These findings suggest that weight bias internalization may be a stronger predictor of poor mental and physical health than experiences alone, and carry implications for developing weight bias interventions.
authors.affiliation: Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, Suite 3022, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States. Electronic address: rpearl@mail.med.upenn.edu.
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Pearl
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development & Family Studies, Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, University of Connecticut, 1 Constitution Plaza, Suite 600, Hartford, CT 06103, United States. Electronic address: rebecca.puhl@uconn.edu.
authors.forename: Rebecca M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Puhl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Affect; Body dissatisfaction; Internalized attitudes; Self-esteem; Weight bias