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Weight-based disparities in mental health impair the well-being of youth with overweight and obesity, who comprise a growing majority of young people in the United States. This review summarizes research regarding the extent of weight-based disparities in youth mental health and describes the social underpinnings of these disparities across contexts. Youth with high weight face frequent stigmatization (e.g., bullying, victimization, negative judgment), particularly in the school setting. Weight-based disparities in youth mental health emerge not because of high body weight itself, but because of the stigma associated with having high body weight. As such, policy actions need to address weight stigma. Empirical evidence can inform sound policies to reduce the stigma experienced by youth with high weight in order to support equitable mental health outcomes for youth with diverse body sizes.

Weight-based victimization (WBV) is a common and consequential experience for adolescents with overweight and obesity. The current study examined the relative contributions of different school-based sources of WBV (i.e., peers, friends, teachers, coaches) on academic grades, as well as the role of teachers in mitigating the academic consequences of WBV among a sample of 148 adolescents with high body weight (M age = 15.97, SD age = 1.25; 50% female). Regression analyses revealed that the link between school-based WBV and lower grades among adolescents was due primarily to mistreatment from peers. However, this association was weakened when students perceived their teachers to be more helpful in preventing future WBV, but not as a function of how frequently students reported incidents of WBV to their teachers. These findings underscore the importance of teacher intervention in supporting the academic success of adolescents experiencing WBV from their peers in the school setting. Impact and ImplicationsThe study results suggest that the association between peer weight-based victimization (WBV) and lower academic grades in adolescence may be minimized when students perceive their teachers as resources to help prevent future WBV.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively impacted the well-being of many college students, particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) students who are already at a disproportionate risk for negative mental health and well-being outcomes. To identify potential risk and protective factors we examined LGBTQ+ college students' disclosure of sexual orientation, gender identity, or both (SOGI) to mothers and fathers, living arrangements (whether or not students lived with mothers and fathers), social support from family and friends, and parent-child relationship quality and their association with stress, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and problem drinking during the pandemic. LGBTQ+ college students (N = 366; M age = 20.4) completed an online survey. Students who reported more social support from family and friends and better quality relationships with mothers or fathers had better well-being and were less likely to perceive a substantial decrease in their well-being due to the pandemic. In contrast, SOGI disclosure and whether or not students lived with mothers or fathers were generally unrelated to well-being. Findings suggest that universities should consider offering mental health resources for students living on-and off-campus, and that clinical professionals should consider strategies to help these young adults identify and maintain support systems and highlight the value of positive parent-child relationships.

Objective Family‐based weight stigma can be expressed as criticism, judgment, teasing, and mistreatment by family members because of an individual's body weight. The current study compared the prevalence and psychosocial correlates of family‐based weight stigma among adult members of a weight‐management program living in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK, and the US. Methods Participants (N = 8100 adults who reported having ever experienced weight stigma; 95% female; 94% White) completed an identical online survey in their country's dominant language that assessed their experiences of weight stigma from 16 different family member sources, as well as internalized weight bias, body image, eating behaviors, perceived stress, and self‐rated health. Results Family‐based weight stigma, especially from mothers (49%‐62%), spouses/romantic partners (40%‐57%), and fathers (35%‐48%), was highly prevalent across countries. Weight stigma from one's immediate family members was associated with indices of poorer psychosocial health across the six countries (β coefficients = |0.08‐0.13|). Conclusions Findings highlight the need for weight stigma‐reduction efforts to help family members distinguish between supportive, encouraging discourse and potentially weight‐stigmatizing communication. Future research should examine the prevalence and correlates of family‐based weight stigma in more diverse community samples, including among racially/ethnically and gender diverse adults, and in non‐Western countries.

Characteristics of emerging adulthood may make college students less likely to engage in COVID-protective behaviors, a public health concern given that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) students may be particularly vulnerable to complications related to COVID-19. To identify individual and contextual factors related to COVID-protective behaviors among a sample of LGBTQ+ college students in the United States, we examined differences in COVID-protective and -risk behaviors by gender identity, living arrangement, statewide stay at home orders, and political liberalism of the student’s current state. Although engagement in COVID-protective behaviors was high overall, students who identified as men, did not live with a parent, lived in a state without a stay at home order, and/or lived in a less liberal state engaged in fewer COVID-protective behaviors and more frequent COVID-risk behaviors. Findings underscore the importance of clear public health messaging around COVID-protective behaviors that targets especially vulnerable college students.