SynthesisInternational journal of obesity (2005)2025
Higher-weight social identity as a risk and protective factor in the negative health consequences of weight stigma: a systematic review.
Synthesis in International journal of obesity (2005), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Weight stigma and engagement in physical health behaviours among young adults in India.Health psychology and behavioral medicine · 2026Article
- The effect of group singing interventions on health biomarkers in people with stigmatising conditions: a scoping review protocol.Systematic reviews · 2025Article
- The impact of weight self-stigma on appearance anxiety among female college students: a variable-centered and person-centered analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWeight stigma causes significant physical and psychological harm to its targets.
objectiveThis review aims to determine when identifying as a member of the higher-weight group exacerbates versus mitigates the adverse effects of weight stigma.
methodsSearches were conducted on 10 January, 2025, using PsycInfo, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and CINAHL. Evidence was synthesised in terms of exacerbating versus protective effects of higher-weight social identity (as moderator/mediator) in the relationship between weight stigma and 18 distinct health outcomes. This review is registered on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42023415639).
resultsFourteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Studies employing weight status measures to assess higher-weight social identity identified actual and self-perceived higher-weight as risk factors for anticipated rejection, dietary control challenges, increased physiological stress and greater functional disability following stigmatisation. Conversely, studies measuring individual connection with the higher-weight group revealed that stronger identification had protective effects on self-esteem and distress, but only for specific individuals (e.g., those with low internalised weight bias). LIMITATIONS: Grey literature and unpublished studies were not reviewed.
conclusionsInitial evidence suggests that higher-weight social identity functions as both risk and protective factor in the relationship between weight stigma and well-being. IMPLICATIONS: Future research should explore the emotional and evaluative components of higher-weight social identity to enhance understanding of how and when group membership influences the adverse effects of weight stigma. This knowledge can inform targeted interventions designed to improve the well-being of higher-weight individuals.
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