Weight stigma and mental health symptoms: mediation by perceived stress.

ABSTRACT: Prior research has established that weight stigma, or social devaluation based on an individual's body size or weight, is directly related to greater depressive and anxiety symptoms. In this investigation, we apply the Cyclic Obesity/Weight-Based Stigma model to investigate if the association between weight stigma and poor mental health is mediated by greater perceived stress. We analyzed data from a census-matched sample (N=1,993) of the U.S. on age, race/ethnicity, gender, income, and census-region. Issues with missing data and mediation models were addressed using a Bayesian multiple imputation approach. Analyses controlled for Body Mass Index and sociodemographic variables as covariates. Weight stigma was directly associated with greater depressive and anxiety symptoms. Moreover, the r

SUBMITTER: Figueroa DG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12265077 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature