Associations between husbands’ weight bias and related concerns and husbands’ and wives’ psychological and relationship outcomes

Abstract

The study examines married men’s weight stigma, internalized weight bias (IWB) and other weight-related concerns/criticisms directed toward their wife, their perceptions of their wife as an ideal mate, and husbands’ and wives’ psychological distress and relationship satisfaction. The sample consisted of 209 married men and women in a heterosexual relationship. Participants were drawn from an online survey platform (Qualtrics, Provo, UT) that approximated the US population on age, race, and region of the country. Measures assessed husbands’: (1) IWB, (2) weight stigma, (3) weight-related concerns/criticisms directed toward his wife, (4) relationship satisfaction, (5) sexual intimacy, (6) self-esteem, (7) depressive symptoms, and (8) perceived mate value. Husbands’ weight stigma, IWB, weight-related concerns/criticisms, and perceived mate value were significantly associated with husbands’ and wives’ depressive symptoms, self-esteem, relationship satisfaction, and sexual intimacy. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that husbands’ weight stigma and IWB were indirectly linked to husbands’ and wives’ relationship satisfaction and sexual intimacy through weight-related concerns/criticisms and, to a lesser extent, perceived mate value. This investigation suggests that husbands’ weight stigma, IWB, and other weight-related concerns/criticisms, suggestions, and mate perceptions are strongly associated with both husbands’ and wives’ psychological and relationship outcomes.