Gepubliceerd in:
27-06-2023 | Original Article
The Relationship Between Body Mass Index, Implicit Weight Bias, and Social Anxiety in Undergraduate Women
Auteurs: Simona C. Kaplan, Rachel M. Butler, Richard G. Heimberg
Gepubliceerd in: Cognitive Therapy and Research | Uitgave 5/2023
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Abstract
Background
Peer victimization is linked to social anxiety (SA), and rates of bullying are significantly higher for individuals at higher weights. However, research has yet to examine whether implicit weight bias exacerbates this link.
Methods
This study examined the relationships between body mass index (BMI), SA, and implicit weight bias in undergraduate women (N = 186; 54.8% White; MBMI = 25.97). Participants completed questionnaires pertaining to SA, stigmatizing attitudes toward weight, and two implicit association tests (IATs) used to measure anti-fat attitudes. IATs required categorization of words into attribute category pairs good vs. bad and motivated vs. lazy.
Results
BMI and SA were not significantly related. Implicit weight bias assessed by the good/bad IAT moderated the relationship between BMI and SA. Implicit weight bias assessed by the lazy/motivated IAT moderated the relationship between BMI and SA at the trend level (p = .06). Higher BMI was associated with higher SA in individuals with high, but not low, implicit weight bias. Implicit weight bias was associated with internalization of the thin ideal but not explicit weight bias.
Conclusions
Therapeutic interventions for SA among individuals with high BMI should explore internalized weight stigma, which may take the form of implicit attitudes or beliefs.
