title: Comparing Self-Report Measures of Internalized Weight Stigma: The Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire versus the Weight Bias Internalization Scale.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Internalized weight stigma has gained growing interest due to its association with multiple health impairments in individuals with obesity. Especially high internalized weight stigma is reported by individuals undergoing bariatric surgery. For assessing this concept, two different self-report questionnaires are available, but have never been compared: the Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire (WSSQ) and the Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBIS). The purpose of the present study was to provide and to compare reliability, convergent validity with and predictive values for psychosocial health outcomes for the WSSQ and WBIS.
  
  
  METHODS
  The WSSQ and the WBIS were used to assess internalized weight stigma in N = 78 prebariatric surgery patients. Further, body mass index (BMI) was assessed and body image, quality of life, self-esteem, depression, and anxiety were measured by well-established self-report questionnaires. Reliability, correlation, and regression analyses were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Internal consistency of the WSSQ was acceptable, while good internal consistency was found for the WBIS. Both measures were significantly correlated with each other and body image. While only the WSSQ was correlated with overweight preoccupation, only the WBIS was correlated with appearance evaluation. Both measures were not associated with BMI. However, correlation coefficients did not differ between the WSSQ and the WBIS for all associations with validity measures. Further, both measures significantly predicted quality of life, self-esteem, depression, and anxiety, while the WBIS explained significantly more variance than the WSSQ total score for self-esteem.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings indicate the WSSQ and the WBIS to be reliable and valid assessments of internalized weight stigma in prebariatric surgery patients, although the WBIS showed marginally more favorable results than the WSSQ. For both measures, longitudinal studies on stability and predictive validity are warranted, for example, for weight-related and psychosocial outcomes.
authors: Leipzig University Medical Center, Integrated Research and Treatment Center AdiposityDiseases, Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Hübner
authors: Leipzig University Medical Center, Integrated Research and Treatment Center AdiposityDiseases, Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Ricarda
authors: R
authors: Schmidt
authors: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Janine
authors: J
authors: Selle
authors: Department of Surgery, Herzogin Elisabeth Hospital, Braunschweig, Germany.
authors: Hinrich
authors: H
authors: Köhler
authors: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Astrid
authors: A
authors: Müller
authors: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: de Zwaan
authors: Leipzig University Medical Center, Integrated Research and Treatment Center AdiposityDiseases, Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Leipzig, Germany.
authors: Anja
authors: A
authors: Hilbert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D050110:Bariatric Surgery; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D057566:Self Report; D057545:Social Stigma; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires