Internalized Weight Bias (IWB) is consistently associated with poor body image, elevated depression, and diminished self-esteem. However, very little research has examined how additional psychological constructs may indirectly influence the association between IWB and these outcomes. This investigation examined whether IWB was associated with body image, depression, and self-esteem among individuals with overweight and obesity indirectly through body shame, experiential avoidance, and self-compassion. The current sample included 403 participants, with slightly over half the participants (51%) identifying as a female with an average age of 48.3 (SD = 16.9, range 18 to 84), and an average BMI of 33.1 (SD = 7.5, range 25 to 68). Participants were recruited through a Qualtrics research panel that was reflective of the United States population on variables of education, geographic location, income, and biological sex. All participants were aged 18+ and had a BMI ≥ 25. To maximize racial/ethnic diversity, the current sample contained three equally represented self-identified racial/ethnic groups: Black non-Hispanic or Latino/a (N = 140), Hispanic or Latino/a (N = 133), and White non-Hispanic or Latino/a (N = 130). Results showed a significant indirect effect of IWB on psychological and body image outcomes through body shame, experiential avoidance, and self-compassion. Future longitudinal research examining the contexts in which body shame, experiential avoidance, and self-compassion may act as mediators will be important to further develop an understanding of IWB.
Carels et al. (Sat,) studied this question.