A prospective study on the link between weight‐related self‐stigma and binge eating: Role of food addiction and psychological distress

Abstract

Objectives This prospective study investigated the link between weight‐related self‐stigma and binge eating by (a) examining the temporal association between weight‐related self‐stigma and binge eating; (b) investigating the mediating role of food addiction in the association between weight‐related self‐stigma and binge eating; and (c) examining the mediating role of psychological distress in the association between weight‐related self‐stigma and binge eating. Method Participants comprised 1,497 adolescents (mean = 15.1 years; SD = 6.0). Body mass index and weight bias were assessed at baseline; psychological distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) assessed and food addiction at 3 months; and binge eating at 6 months. The mediation model was analyzed using Model 4 in the PROCESS macro for SPSS with 10,000 bootstrapping resamples. Results There was no significant direct association between weight‐related self‐stigma and binge eating. However, food addiction and psychological distress significantly mediated the association between weight‐related self‐stigma and binge eating. Discussion These findings highlight the indirect association between weight‐related self‐stigma and binge eating via food addiction and psychological distress. Consequently, intervention programs targeting food addiction and psychological distress among adolescents may have significant positive effects on outcomes for weight‐related self‐stigma and binge eating. The findings will be beneficial to researchers and healthcare professionals working with adolescents during this critical developmental period.

Prevalence of food addiction in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Kappa for the abstract review was 0.88 (95% CI; 0.77–0.98), and Kappa for the full text review was 0.92 (95% CI; 0.84–0.99). All 22 studies were cross‐sectional 24,28–48 . No longitudinal studies were identified in the search.…”

Eating disorder risk in adolescents with obesity

“…Weight‐related teasing by parents and peers is associated with binge eating and purging behaviors, body shame, and disordered eating 47–49 . This association between weight‐related stigma and binge eating may be mediated by psychological distress in adolescents 50 …”

The Mediating Effects of Eating Disorder, Food Addiction, and Insomnia in the Association between Psychological Distress and Being Overweight among Iranian Adolescents

“…Investigating whether modifiable risk factors such as eating disorder attitudes, food addiction, and insomnia are mediators in the relationship between psychological distress and excess weight may help identify important targets for treatment. Although prior studies by the present authors [35,36] have found other psychopathological mechanisms that explain the mediating roles of food addiction, psychological distress, and insomnia for adolescents who are overweight, none of the studies investigated the mechanism explaining the outcome of gaining excess weight. More specifically, Lin et al [35] investigated on the outcome of quality of life and Ahorsu et al [36] on binge eating disorder.…”

“…Although prior studies by the present authors [35,36] have found other psychopathological mechanisms that explain the mediating roles of food addiction, psychological distress, and insomnia for adolescents who are overweight, none of the studies investigated the mechanism explaining the outcome of gaining excess weight. More specifically, Lin et al [35] investigated on the outcome of quality of life and Ahorsu et al [36] on binge eating disorder. The outcome of the present study was decreasing, maintaining, or increasing excess weight among Iranian adolescents who were overweight, and the findings will be useful for healthcare providers, especially because such topics are understudied among Iranian adolescents.…”