Experiences of weight stigma and links with self-compassion among a population-based sample of young adults from diverse ethnic/racial and socio-economic backgrounds

OBJECTIVE: This study examines weight stigma experiences in a population-based sample of young adults from diverse ethnic/racial and socio-economic backgrounds, and explores cross-sectional associations between weight stigma and self-compassion, including gender differences in this relationship.

METHODS: Data come from EAT 2018, a population-based study of weight and related behaviors in young adults (N = 1523, mean age = 22 years, 53.5% females). Adjusted models tested associations between different experiences of weight stigma and the Self-Kindness Subscale of the Self-Compassion Scale, controlling for age, body mass index (BMI), ethnicity/race, and SES.

RESULTS: Over a third (32.3-52.2%) of participants reported experiences of weight teasing, and almost half (39.2-54.8%) indicated that people in their work or school settings are treated differently based on weight. There were few differences across ethnic/racial groups in reports of weight stigma. The prevalence of weight stigma experiences reported by participants in their current school or work environment was similar across gender, and those who had experienced weight stigma had lower levels of self-kindness. Among both females and males, lower self-kindness scores were associated with the experience of weight teasing (females: χ 2 = 22.6, df = 1, p < .001, d = 0.32; males χ 2 = 7.6, df = 1, p < .001, d = 0.22). For females only, lower self-kindness scores were associated with being treated unfairly due to weight (χ 2 = 11.1, df = 1, p < .001, d = 0.23), and having others make comments about your weight (χ 2 = 14.6, df = 1, p < .001, d = 0.28). Findings remained after adjusting for race/ethnicity, BMI, and SES.

CONCLUSION: Associations between self-compassion and experiences of weight stigma found in our diverse sample of young adults offers insights on this understudied relationship.