Abstract
This study investigated the role of perceived stigmatization in the relationship between humor styles and coping with stress among young women suffering from stigma due to obesity. In the 21st century, obesity is an increasing global health issue with many physical and mental consequences for obese women. As a chronic stigmatizing disease, it requires that the affected individuals cope with social consequences; women with obesity are more prone to such consequences than men. Humor fosters the breaking of stereotypes and alleviating the consequences of stigmatization. A total of 127 young adult women (age M = 25.74, SD = 2.73) participated in the study (n = 54 with overfat and n = 73 with healthy fat). Participants filled out the Humor Styles Questionnaire, Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire, and the Brief COPE Scale. Anthropometric data were gathered using a body composition analyzer. Results indicate that, when perceiving hostile behaviors toward themselves and using humor as a coping strategy, women with overfat select maladaptive styles of humor (i.e., self-defeating and aggressive styles). Women with overfat were also more likely to use humor as a coping strategy in difficult situations. Furthermore, none of the participants were satisfied with their body mass. At the same time, among women without obesity, a lack of compliments was not treated as a problem, even if they had high body fat.
Highlights
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is the most common metabolic disease, a global issue in the 21st century, and its prevalence is continually increasing [1]
This relation is stronger in women, for whom obesity is met with greater social censure than men
We wanted to verify if the selection of respondents was adequate; we examined the significance of differences between groups distinguished on the basis of whether the women were overfat or at healthy fat levels in terms of all variables included in the research (Table 1)
Summary
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is the most common metabolic disease, a global issue in the 21st century, and its prevalence is continually increasing [1]. A report prepared by the Parliamentary Bureau of Research indicates that the obesity rate continues to increase and is one of the most common lifestyle-related health problems, posing a challenge to the health care system in Poland [5]. Obesity lowers the quality of life [12] creating a vicious cycle of problems; for example, some types of depression can cause obesity, while in other situations, obesity can lead to depression [13,14]. This relation is stronger in women, for whom obesity is met with greater social censure than men. Women are more prone to being overweight or obese than men [17], which has a far-reaching influence on their health, including in the context of reproduction—women with obesity are more at risk of
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