Jamila Bookwala and Jenny Boyar, Department of Psychology, Lafayette College.
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GENDER, EXCESSIVE BODY WEIGHT, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN ADULTHOOD
Article first published online: 1 MAY 2008
DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-6402.2008.00423.x
© 2008 Division 35, American Psychological Association
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How to Cite
Bookwala, J. and Boyar, J. (2008), GENDER, EXCESSIVE BODY WEIGHT, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN ADULTHOOD. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 32: 188–195. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-6402.2008.00423.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 1 MAY 2008
- Article first published online: 1 MAY 2008
- Initial submission: June 27, 2007Initial acceptance: September 14, 2007Final acceptance: October 22, 2007
- Abstract
- Article
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- Cited By
We examined gender differences in the association between body mass index (BMI) and psychological well-being. Regression analysis involving 3,251 adults indicated that gender moderated the BMI–psychological well-being link. In follow-up analyses, higher BMI predicted lower psychological well-being only among women. When participants were categorized into 5 BMI groups, women reported lower psychological well-being than men in the overweight and obese I groups, but no gender differences were observed in the more seriously obese or normal-weight groups. Also, among women, all 4 groups with higher-than-normal BMI had lower psychological well-being than normal-weight women; for men, no significant differences were found across the 5 groups. These findings are discussed in relation to research on stigma theory and gender-differentiated cultural norms regarding weight.