Mindfulness Capability Mediates the Association Between Weight-Based Stigma and Negative Emotion Symptoms

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine how mindfulness capability influences the relationship between weight-based stigma (i.e., weight stigma concerns and perceived weight discrimination) and negative emotion symptoms by using a sample of 293 with overweight and obesity (52.9% female; mean age of 22.5 years; standard deviation of 0.68). The questionnaires comprised a survey on weight-based stigma, the Short Inventory of Mindfulness Capability, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the variables of interest were measured before data analysis. The analytical results support the hypotheses that mindfulness capability is negatively related to weight-based stigma and negative emotion symptoms, but it is positively related to negative emotion symptoms. Moreover, the results of the hierarchical regression analysis suggest additional effects of mindfulness capability on negative emotional symptoms when controlling for gender, age, body mass index (BMI), and weight-based stigma (B = − 0.31, p < .001, R2 = 0.32). Finally, the results of the mediation effect analysis verify the significant indirect effects of weight-based stigma on negative emotion through mindfulness capability (effect = 0.0160, 95% confidence interval [0.0059, 0.0302] in model 1; effect = 0.0272, 95% confidence interval [0.0106, 0.0497] in model 2). Our findings can contribute to the theoretical literature about the salutary effects of mindfulness on attenuating the negative impacts of weight-based stigma. The research on mindfulness-based interventions targeted at weight-based stigma is expected, and future directions to improve the current study are discussed.