Exploring weight bias internalization in young women: a multi-methods approach
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Weight bias internalization occurs when individuals accept negative societal weight- and shapebased attitudes and direct them towards themselves. Although this construct is typically explored among individuals with a higher body weight, there is a growing amount of evidence suggesting that weight-based stigma experiences and subsequent internalization occur across the weight spectrum. The overall aim of this dissertation was to better understand the construct of weight bias internalization in a group of individuals not typically conceptualized as being negatively impacted by weight-based stigma: young women predominantly in the normal-weight range. Study 1 (N = 196) examined correlates of weight bias internalization and other related internalization constructs (self-objectification, thin ideal internalization). Using a hierarchical multiple regression approach, weight bias internalization was found to predict measures of disordered eating (binge eating, emotional eating, and dietary restraint), body shape concerns, and psychological distress over and above the influences of the other internalization measures. These results potentially underscore the importance of assessing and treating weight bias internalization among young women; however, the high correlation between weight bias internalization and body shape concerns suggest that these variables may instead represent similar constructs. Study 2 built upon these findings by exploring the comparative effects of two strategies aimed at reducing weight bias internalization (teaching participants self- providing psychoeducation about weight regulation) and a control condition using a pre-post, single session study design. Participants (N = 123) demonstrating at least moderate levels of weight bias internalization on a pre-screen measure were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Self-Compassion, Psychoeducation, or a Control condition. Relative to the Control group, participants in both active treatment conditions demonstrated significant reductions in weight bias internalization and improvements in appearance state self-esteem. Participants in the Psychoeducation condition also reported significantly lower endorsement of weight control beliefs (relative to both comparison groups) and significantly greater endorsement of healthy lifestyle beliefs (relative to the control group). Between-group differences in affect, body shape concerns, self-compassion, and fear of self-compassion were non-significant. These findings suggest that both enhancing self-compassion and providing accurate psychoeducation about weight regulation may help to reduce weight bias internalization among young women.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.018 | 0.018 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.002 | 0.002 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.004 | 0.003 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.003 | 0.001 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.002 | 0.001 |
| Open science | 0.002 | 0.003 |
| Research integrity | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.004 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".