Internalized Weight Bias and Disordered Eating: The Mediating Role of Body Image Avoidance and Drive for Thinness

Internalized weight bias has been linked with undesirable physical and psychological health outcomes, including disordered eating. Interventions have targeted internalized weight bias and associated outcomes, but little is known about underlying mechanisms of change. Existing treatment literature su...

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Main Authors: Rachel D. Marshall, Janet D. Latner, Akihiko Masuda
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2020-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02999/full
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author Rachel D. Marshall
Janet D. Latner
Akihiko Masuda
author_facet Rachel D. Marshall
Janet D. Latner
Akihiko Masuda
author_sort Rachel D. Marshall
collection DOAJ
description Internalized weight bias has been linked with undesirable physical and psychological health outcomes, including disordered eating. Interventions have targeted internalized weight bias and associated outcomes, but little is known about underlying mechanisms of change. Existing treatment literature suggests that drive for thinness and body image avoidance may sustain the link between internalized weight bias and disordered eating. The present study aimed to determine if drive for thinness and body image avoidance mediated the relationship between internalized weight bias and disordered eating in an ethnically diverse sample. Participants included 225 female college students aged 18–49 years (mean age = 20.4 years, SD = 4.4), with a mean BMI of 23.3 kg/m2 who completed a computer-based survey for partial course credit. As expected, internalized weight bias was positively associated with disordered eating, and results supported the hypothesis of the mediating role of drive for thinness and body image avoidance. These results are important given the shortage of intervention efforts targeting internalized weight bias. Future intervention efforts aimed at reducing internalized weight bias and associated outcomes may benefit from simultaneously targeting drive for thinness and body image avoidance.
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spelling doaj.art-2dffa54fa42a4c0abf806bc4384e7a0c2022-12-21T20:31:01ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782020-01-011010.3389/fpsyg.2019.02999502296Internalized Weight Bias and Disordered Eating: The Mediating Role of Body Image Avoidance and Drive for ThinnessRachel D. MarshallJanet D. LatnerAkihiko MasudaInternalized weight bias has been linked with undesirable physical and psychological health outcomes, including disordered eating. Interventions have targeted internalized weight bias and associated outcomes, but little is known about underlying mechanisms of change. Existing treatment literature suggests that drive for thinness and body image avoidance may sustain the link between internalized weight bias and disordered eating. The present study aimed to determine if drive for thinness and body image avoidance mediated the relationship between internalized weight bias and disordered eating in an ethnically diverse sample. Participants included 225 female college students aged 18–49 years (mean age = 20.4 years, SD = 4.4), with a mean BMI of 23.3 kg/m2 who completed a computer-based survey for partial course credit. As expected, internalized weight bias was positively associated with disordered eating, and results supported the hypothesis of the mediating role of drive for thinness and body image avoidance. These results are important given the shortage of intervention efforts targeting internalized weight bias. Future intervention efforts aimed at reducing internalized weight bias and associated outcomes may benefit from simultaneously targeting drive for thinness and body image avoidance.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02999/fullinternalized weight biasdisordered eatingeating disordersbody imagedrive for thinnessinternalized weight stigma
spellingShingle Rachel D. Marshall
Janet D. Latner
Akihiko Masuda
Internalized Weight Bias and Disordered Eating: The Mediating Role of Body Image Avoidance and Drive for Thinness
Frontiers in Psychology
internalized weight bias
disordered eating
eating disorders
body image
drive for thinness
internalized weight stigma
title Internalized Weight Bias and Disordered Eating: The Mediating Role of Body Image Avoidance and Drive for Thinness
title_full Internalized Weight Bias and Disordered Eating: The Mediating Role of Body Image Avoidance and Drive for Thinness
title_fullStr Internalized Weight Bias and Disordered Eating: The Mediating Role of Body Image Avoidance and Drive for Thinness
title_full_unstemmed Internalized Weight Bias and Disordered Eating: The Mediating Role of Body Image Avoidance and Drive for Thinness
title_short Internalized Weight Bias and Disordered Eating: The Mediating Role of Body Image Avoidance and Drive for Thinness
title_sort internalized weight bias and disordered eating the mediating role of body image avoidance and drive for thinness
topic internalized weight bias
disordered eating
eating disorders
body image
drive for thinness
internalized weight stigma
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02999/full
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