Brief Report: Exploring Perceived Stigma From Healthcare Professionals in an Adult Sample With Eating Disorders

Abstract

This study aimed to develop and test a novel Perceived Stigma from Healthcare Professional's self-report questionnaire in a sample of female and male young adults with eating disorders (EDs). An online cross-sectional self-report study was conducted, recruiting a community and clinical sample of 18 to 35-year-olds diagnosed with or self-identifying with an ED (N = 140). The questionnaire utilised the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 to measure ED severity. Those who sought professional help for their ED proceeded to answer the novel Perceived Stigma from Healthcare Professionals questionnaire (N = 42). There was a large range of total perceived stigma scores but, volitional stigma and weight discrimination were the most frequently perceived stigmatising views. A Pearson's correlation illustrated that greater perceived stigma from healthcare professionals was moderately associated with greater ED severity, r(4) = 0.49. p = 0.001. The results indicate heterogeneity of experiences of stigma but, provide preliminary evidence that volitional stigma and weight discrimination may reflect common experiences. Greater stigma from healthcare professionals might be linked to worse outcomes for those with EDs. The findings underscore the importance of further exploration into perceived stigma from healthcare professionals and ED outcomes, using validated questionnaires and larger samples.