Weight Stigma, Cognitions, and Disordered Eating

Weight stigma experiences affect people of all weights and have many negative consequences; despite this, weight stigma is still an acceptable prejudice in our society. Research has established that weight stigma is predictive of disordered eating (DE) cognitions, which are, in turn, predictive of DE behaviors. The current study explored the unique contribution DE cognitions make to DE behaviors while controlling for other DE cognitions. The DE cognitions examined in the current study were drive for thinness, weight bias internalization, and perfectionism. The DE behaviors examined were emotional eating, restrained eating, inappropriate compensatory behaviors, and binge-eating. Weight bias internalization and drive for thinness were the only DE cognitions found to make unique contributions to distinct DE behaviors. The DE cognitions were further found to be significant mediators of the relation between weight stigma experiences and the related DE behaviors. Implications with respect to prevention and treatment are discussed.