Weight Stigma Predicts Poorer Psychological Well‐Being Through Internalized Weight Bias and Maladaptive Coping Responses

OBJECTIVE: Weight-based stigmatization is associated with negative psychological and behavioral consequences, but individuals respond to stigma in different ways. The present study aimed to understand some of the factors that predict how one will cope with weight stigma and how different coping responses predict psychological well-being. METHODS: Across four samples, 1,391 individuals who identified as having overweight or obesity completed surveys assessing the frequency of weight stigma experiences, internalized weight bias, coping responses to weight stigma, and psychological distress. RESULTS: Frequency of weight stigma predicted greater internalized weight bias, which predicted more frequent use of maladaptive coping responses ("disengagement coping") and less frequent use of adaptive coping responses ("reappraisal coping"), in turn predicting more depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The more that individuals with overweight or obesity experience weight stigma and internalize weight bias, the more they report using maladaptive coping and the less they report using adaptive coping when dealing with weight stigma. Maladaptive coping is strongly associated with poorer psychological well-being. Thus, those who experience more frequent weight stigma may be more vulnerable to psychological distress because they appear to be at greater risk of employing maladaptive coping strategies.