Self-Compassion as a Resource in the Self-Stigma Process of Overweight and Obese Individuals

卷:8

Hilbert, Anja ; Braehler, Elmar ; Schmidt, Ricarda ; Loewe, Bernd ; Haeuser, Winfried ; Zenger, Markus

Univ Leipzig

关键词: Stigma;    Weight bias;    Self-compassion;    Depression;    Somatic symptoms;    Health;    Quality of life;   

DOI  :  10.1159/000438681

学科分类：食品科学和技术

【 摘 要 】

Objective: Self-stigma in overweight and obese individuals has strong associations with impairment in mental and global health. This study sought to explore self-compassion as a psychological resource in the self-stigma process. Methods: In a 2012 representative German population survey of N = 1,158 overweight and obese individuals, self-compassion was examined as a mediator between self-stigma and mental and physical health outcomes, including BMI (kg/m(2)), using structural equation modeling and controlling for sociodemographic factors. Results: Psychological variables were assessed using validated self-report questionnaires. Self-compassion partially mediated the relationships between self-stigma and depression, somatic symptoms, and health status / quality of life, lowering the predictive effect of self-stigma on the outcomes by approximately one-third. In contrast, self-compassion, because it was unrelated to BMI, did not mediate the association between self-stigma and BMI. Conclusion: Self-compassion has the potential to act as a buffer against the mental and global health detriments of self-stigma in overweight and obesity and could thus represent a target for interventions to reduce self-stigma and prevent these health impairments. In order to influence the association between self-stigma and BMI, self-compassion should conceptually be linked to weight management. (C) 2015 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg