When helping hurts: Distinct pathways of positive and negative weight-related social control to behavioral and psychological outcomes.

Abstract

Existing models of social control explaining how interpersonal influence is associated with behavioral and psychological outcomes show mixed empirical support. This research investigated psychological mechanisms linking weight-related social control (WRSC) to behavioral and psychological outcomes through two cross-sectional preregistered studies with U.S. adults recruited via CloudResearch Connect (combined N = 965). We used path analysis to develop and test a model examining how positive and negative WRSC relate to validated measures of exercise, dietary quality, drive for thinness, and bulimic tendencies, with psychological distress and body dissatisfaction as mediators. Negative WRSC consistently predicted outcomes through psychological distress, while its relationship with body dissatisfaction showed some sensitivity to outliers. Positive WRSC predicted both increased exercise and drive for thinness through direct pathways. These findings extend existing social control models by demonstrating distinct mechanisms linking positive and negative WRSC to behavioral and psychological outcomes.