Premium
Perceived weight discrimination, changes in health, and daily stressors
Author(s) -
Sutin Angelina R.,
Stephan Yannick,
Grzywacz Joseph G.,
Robinson Eric,
Daly Michael,
Terracciano Antonio
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.21598
Subject(s) - stressor , anger , feeling , affect (linguistics) , psychology , clinical psychology , body mass index , mental health , weight loss , association (psychology) , interpersonal communication , medicine , obesity , psychiatry , social psychology , communication , psychotherapist
Objective To examine whether perceived weight discrimination is associated with change in health markers over time and whether it is associated with daily stressors, physical symptoms, and affect. Methods Participants were selected from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study if they had data on perceived weight discrimination and health markers at MIDUS II (2004–2006), health markers at MIDUS III (2013–2014), and a body mass index ≥25 kg/m 2 ( N = 1,841). A subset of these participants ( N = 1,153) reported on their experiences daily for 8 days as part of the second National Study of Daily Experiences. Results Perceived weight discrimination was associated with declines in mental and physical health over time (median β = 0.06). Participants who reported weight discrimination experienced more daily stressors ( β = 0.13), physical symptoms ( β = 0.13), and negative affect ( β = 0.13) and less positive affect ( β = −0.12) over the 8 days of the second National Study of Daily Experiences. Weight discrimination was most strongly associated with interpersonal stressors (median β = 0.14), feelings of anger ( β = 0.16) and frustration ( β = 0.14), lower attention ( β = −0.14) and activity ( β = −0.16), and more nonspecific physical symptoms (e.g., fatigue; β = 0.10). Conclusions This research replicates the association between perceived weight discrimination and worse health over time and extends this literature to show that people who experience weight discrimination have more daily stressors, physical symptoms, and negative emotions.