The Application of Cohen’s Stress-Buffering Model for Weight Bias Internalization in Prebariatric Patients
Jördis Kaden,
Claudia Hübner,
Thomas Mansfeld,
Johannes Sander,
Florian Seyfried,
Stefan Kaiser,
Arne Dietrich,
Anja Hilbert
Affiliations
Jördis Kaden
Integrated Research and Treatment Center AdiposityDiseases, Behavioral Medicine Research Unit, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
Claudia Hübner
Integrated Research and Treatment Center AdiposityDiseases, Behavioral Medicine Research Unit, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
Thomas Mansfeld
Department of General Surgery, Asklepios Clinic, Hamburg, Germany
Department of General, Visceral, Transplant, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
Stefan Kaiser
Department of Visceral, Pediatric and Vascular Surgery, Hospital Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
Arne Dietrich
Department of Surgery, Clinic for Visceral, Transplantation, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
Anja Hilbert
Integrated Research and Treatment Center AdiposityDiseases, Behavioral Medicine Research Unit, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
Introduction: Weight bias internalization (WBI) is associated with reduced psychological well-being in individuals with obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the application of Cohen’s stress-buffering model of social support for WBI on well-being in patients presenting for bariatric surgery. Methods: In N = 804 adult prebariatric patients, WBI, social support, depression severity, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and self-esteem were assessed by self-report questionnaires. Structural Equation Modeling was applied to test for direct associations between social support and well-being and for a buffering effect of social support on the relationship between WBI and well-being. Results: After controlling for age, sex, and body mass index, greater social support was directly associated with reduced depression severity and increased self-esteem, but not with increased HRQOL. Contrary to Cohen’s stress-buffering model, social support showed no moderating effects on the association between WBI and depression severity, HRQOL, and self-esteem. Conclusion: These cross-sectional results may indicate that greater social support is associated with improved well-being, supporting it as a potential coping resource in bariatric surgery. Given the absence of supporting evidence for the buffering effect in the present study, future prospective research may reevaluate the existence of a moderating effect of social support and investigate whether support-focused interventions improve psychological well-being.
