The unique and interacting roles of internalized weight bias and fear of weight gain, and their associations with eating disorder symptoms

IF 4.6 2区医学 Q1 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

Appetite Pub Date : 2025-03-19 DOI:10.1016/j.appet.2025.107971

Savannah C. Hooper , Hannah F. Fitterman-Harris , Cheri A. Levinson

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Both internalized weight bias (IWB), and fear of weight gain have been studied separately as contributors to eating disorder (ED) symptoms. IWB and fear of weight gain may be overlapping constructs as they both emphasize weight gain as an undesired and feared outcome. However, only fear of weight gain has been included in ED maintenance models. Additionally, no studies to date have investigated whether IWB and fear of weight gain act concurrently and independently of one another to impact ED symptoms, or whether they interact synergistically, causing compounding risk for ED symptoms. Therefore, the current study tested unique and moderating relationships among IWB, fear of weight gain, and ED symptoms in a higher ED risk population. This study was preregistered. Participants (N = 1233; 62.2 % women) completed one-time survey data. Eight ED symptoms were the main outcomes. Multiple linear regression models were conducted to assess main and interactive effects of IWB in the entire sample and in a subsample of individuals with probable EDs (n = 311). In the entire sample, there were no significant interactions, but in individuals with a probable ED, IWB moderated the relationship between fear of weight gain and cognitive restraint. There were also main effects of IWB on all ED symptoms, and main effects of fear of weight gain on seven symptoms. Results suggest that IWB may compound the impact of fear of weight gain on cognitive restraint among individuals with EDs. Both IWB and fear of weight gain had unique relationships with most or all outcomes, suggesting they are independent constructs. It is important that both IWB and fear of weight gain are targeted in ED treatment and IWB should be included in maintenance models of ED symptomatology.

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来源期刊

Appetite 医学-行为科学

CiteScore

9.10

自引率

11.10%

发文量

566

审稿时长

13.4 weeks

期刊介绍： Appetite is an international research journal specializing in cultural, social, psychological, sensory and physiological influences on the selection and intake of foods and drinks. It covers normal and disordered eating and drinking and welcomes studies of both human and non-human animal behaviour toward food. Appetite publishes research reports, reviews and commentaries. Thematic special issues appear regularly. From time to time the journal carries abstracts from professional meetings. Submissions to Appetite are expected to be based primarily on observations directly related to the selection and intake of foods and drinks; papers that are primarily focused on topics such as nutrition or obesity will not be considered unless they specifically make a novel scientific contribution to the understanding of appetite in line with the journal's aims and scope.