Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Caitlin Martin-Wagar
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Psychology
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Internalized weight bias (IWB) is characterized as the extent to which someone holds stigmatizing attitudes about themselves based on social stereotypes and their perceived weight status. IWB is positively associated with increased disordered eating and adverse mental and physical health outcomes. Moreover, those with eating disorders (EDs) often experience elevated levels of IWB due to societal weight stigma and subsequent preoccupations with body and shape. While the relationship between IWB and eating pathology is relevant across ED diagnoses, and across the weight spectrum, its specific influence on the development and maintenance of an eating disorder is understudied. Current eating disorder treatments do not include explicit interventions that directly target IWB. With this discrepancy in mind, this study aims to examine whether the treatment as usual for individuals with EDs has any impact on endorsed levels of IWB.
Two groups of participants completed the Weight Bias Internalization Scale – modified (WBIS-M), a measure that assesses internalized weight attitudes: women with EDs and college students. After data collection, comparison groups were made to include participants with no history of ED treatment, participants with past ED treatment, and those who were actively receiving treatment. It is hypothesized that individuals who received ED treatment in the past will report decreased IWB compared to those actively receiving ED treatment, but these groups will have elevated IWB compared to those having never received ED treatment. Studying the current landscape of ED treatment lays the groundwork for developing interventions that address IWB across populations. These interventions could have a beneficial effect not only in limiting ED symptomatology, but also in decreasing weight stigma and anti-fat biases.
Category
Social Sciences
Differences in Internalized Weight Bias Across Eating Disorder Treatment Groups
UC South Ballroom
Internalized weight bias (IWB) is characterized as the extent to which someone holds stigmatizing attitudes about themselves based on social stereotypes and their perceived weight status. IWB is positively associated with increased disordered eating and adverse mental and physical health outcomes. Moreover, those with eating disorders (EDs) often experience elevated levels of IWB due to societal weight stigma and subsequent preoccupations with body and shape. While the relationship between IWB and eating pathology is relevant across ED diagnoses, and across the weight spectrum, its specific influence on the development and maintenance of an eating disorder is understudied. Current eating disorder treatments do not include explicit interventions that directly target IWB. With this discrepancy in mind, this study aims to examine whether the treatment as usual for individuals with EDs has any impact on endorsed levels of IWB.
Two groups of participants completed the Weight Bias Internalization Scale – modified (WBIS-M), a measure that assesses internalized weight attitudes: women with EDs and college students. After data collection, comparison groups were made to include participants with no history of ED treatment, participants with past ED treatment, and those who were actively receiving treatment. It is hypothesized that individuals who received ED treatment in the past will report decreased IWB compared to those actively receiving ED treatment, but these groups will have elevated IWB compared to those having never received ED treatment. Studying the current landscape of ED treatment lays the groundwork for developing interventions that address IWB across populations. These interventions could have a beneficial effect not only in limiting ED symptomatology, but also in decreasing weight stigma and anti-fat biases.