Interrupting the Cycle of Weight Stigma and Unhealthy Behavior: The Potential of Self-Affirmation and Self-Compassion Exercises
Open AccessWeight stigma, the derogation and devaluation of people with overweight, is pervasive in the US today, and women are disproportionately the targets. Paradoxically, experiencing weight stigma leads to less healthy eating that contributes to weight gain. This experience may also promote avoidance of important weight-related health information. However, no studies have explored strategies to reduce the harmful effects of weight stigma. The present study tests whether writing self-affirmation and/or self-compassion reflections, interventions that have been shown to protect against threats to self-worth, can mitigate the impact of a minor episode of weight stigma on women’s eating cognitions and willingness to learn weight-related health information. Women with overweight or obesity (ages 18-45) completed the experiment online. First, they were randomly assigned to experience weight stigma through a ball-tossing computer game called Cyberball, in which they were represented by a larger avatar and were excluded (i.e., not passed the ball) by three other “players” represented by lean, female avatars. Women in the inclusion (i.e., comparison) condition were included during the game and were represented by an avatar the same size as the other players’. Following the Cyberball game, women were randomly assigned to complete a self-affirmation, self-compassion, or neutral writing exercise. Women then completed a post-manipulation survey in which they self-reported several eating cognitions and their current inclination to avoid information about their weight. There were no effects of weight stigma through Cyberball and no effects of the writing exercises on any measures of unhealthy eating cognitions or information avoidance. Weight stigma through Cyberball also did not influence fundamental need satisfaction or mood, despite past research showing that any type of exclusion through Cyberball consistently affects these outcomes. Unfortunately, the manipulation may have been ineffective in the online study format, which was necessary because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the absence of a valid weight stigma manipulation, the current data can neither support nor refute the study hypotheses asserting a causal effect of weight stigma and protective effects of the writing exercises. I discuss the methodological limitations of the current study and provide directions for future research on this important topic.
- All rights reserved
Notice to Authors
If you are the author of this work and you have any questions about the information on this page, please use the Contact form to get in touch with us.
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Visibility | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Hagerman_gwu_0075A_15601.pdf | 2022-03-06 | Open Access |
|