Intersectionality and Sizeism: Implications for Mental Health Practitioners

Smith, Christine

doi:10.1080/02703149.2018.1524076

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Nevertheless, examining both genders continues to be important in light of the inconsistent associations of weight stigma with potential outcome variables in a workplace context, with some research showing men to be more susceptible and other research showing women to be more susceptible to weight-based prejudice and discrimination (see [ 1 ]). Thus, further research is needed that addresses the issue of intersectionality, or how the combination of gender, weight, and other relevant characteristics may be associated with potential detrimental consequences in the workplace [ 46 , 47 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weight-based stereotype threat in the workplace: consequences for employees with overweight or obesity

Zacher

Hippel

2021

Int J Obes

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Background/Objectives Employees with overweight or obesity are often stereotyped as lazy, unmotivated, and less competent than employees with normal weight. As a consequence, employees with overweight or obesity are susceptible to stereotype threat, or the concern about confirming, or being reduced to, a stereotype about their group. This survey study examined whether employees with overweight or obesity experience stereotype threat in the workplace, whether it is associated with their perceived ability to meet their work demands (i.e., work ability), and whether high levels of knowledge about one’s self (i.e., authentic self-awareness) can offset a potential negative association. Subjects/Methods Using a correlational study design, survey data were collected from N = 758 full-time employees at three measurement points across 3 months. Employees’ average body mass index (BMI) was 26.36 kg/m² (SD = 5.45); 34% of participants were employees with overweight (BMI between 25 and <30), and 18% of participants were employees with obesity (BMI > 30). Results Employees with higher weight and higher BMI reported more weight-based stereotype threat (rs between 0.17 and 0.19, p < 0.001). Employees who experienced higher levels of weight-based stereotype threat reported lower work ability, while controlling for weight, height, and subjective weight (β = −0.27, p < 0.001). Authentic self-awareness moderated the relationship between weight-based stereotype threat and work ability (β = 0.14, p < 0.001), such that the relationship between stereotype threat and work ability was negative among employees with low authentic self-awareness (β = −0.25, p < 0.001), and non-significant among employees with high authentic self-awareness (β = 0.08, p = 0.315). Conclusions The findings of this study contribute to the literature by showing that weight-based stereotype threat is negatively associated with employees’ perceived ability to meet their work demands, particularly among those employees with low authentic self-awareness.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weight-based stereotype threat in the workplace: consequences for employees with overweight or obesity

Zacher

Hippel

2021

Int J Obes

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“…Intersectionality is the concept that people who hold multiple marginalized identities experience oppression that is greater than the sum of its parts (Chan et al, 2018; Crenshaw, 1989). For example, Black American cis women of size are subjected to White, European-American appearance ideals that privilege thinness, light skin, light eye color, and smooth hair texture, which minimize Black women’s beauty standards (Smith, 2019). Sizeism in schools can increase inequities faced by students from racially or ethnically marginalized groups (ASCA, 2018).…”

Section: What Is Sizeism?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Scholars in teacher education and related fields have found that sizeism, or “oppression based on body size” (Smith, 2019, p. 61), influences teacher and peer perceptions of student competencies, personalities, and attitudinal traits from early childhood through high school (Golaszewski et al, 2018; Hutchison & Müller, 2020; Kenney et al, 2015, 2017). Physical educators and classroom teachers have demonstrated both implicit and explicit biases against students of size (Ehlert et al, 2015; Werkhoven et al, 2015).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Research with healthcare providers has shown that provider biases can impact the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of people of size (Kerl-McClain et al, 2022; Puhl et al, 2014; Schwartz et al, 2003). According to research on counseling practice, sizeism negatively impacts therapeutic relationships, especially when providers hold biases toward clients of size (Kinavey & Cool, 2019; McHugh & Kasardo, 2012; Smith, 2019). School counseling journals in the United States (i.e., Professional School Counseling, Journal of School Counseling ) have been nearly silent on this topic, with only one article published in the past decade about sizeism and advocacy (Larrier et al, 2011), and one article published in a school health journal that includes recommendations for school counselors regarding sizeism and social support (Wu et al, 2014).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Sizeism in Education: What School Counselors Need to Know

Muzacz,

Houston,

Renwick

et al. 2023

Professional School Counseling

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This conceptual article explains how school counselors can increase awareness of size discrimination and address sizeist attitudes and biases in U.S. schools. Sizeism can begin in early childhood and continue into young adulthood, with damaging effects on student wellness. Sizeist biases in society are reflected in school systems. We suggest actions school counselors can take to promote equity in education for students of size, including implementing size-inclusive prevention strategies within a comprehensive school counseling program.

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“…Preoccupation with body weight, shape and size, fear of becoming fat, and the elevation of thinness as a desirable trait are increasing concerns across the world (Burns & Gavey, 2004;Puhl et al, 2015). Weight-based discrimination also intersects with other forms of prejudice, such as sexism, classism, and racism (Nutter et al, 2018(Nutter et al, , 2020Sanders, 2019;Smith, 2019;Strings, 2020). It disproportionately affects marginalised populations, such as people of lower socioeconomic status, people of colour, Indigenous people in colonised countries, and those who identify as LGBTQI+ (Herndon, 2005;Kasten, 2018;Smith, 2019;Strings, 2020), creating layers of harm for society's most vulnerable people.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Framing of Fatness in the Profession of Psychology in Aotearoa New Zealand

Kokot Louw

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Stigma and discrimination based on body size is pervasive in Western society. Weight-based stigma among mental health professionals is common, with harmful and unfounded assumptions about weight affecting diagnosis and treatment. Fat bias further intersects with other forms of oppression such as sexism, racism, classism, and ableism. Psychologists have an ethical and professional responsibility to work towards recognising and resisting oppressive discourses and practices in health care. In this study, I sought to understand the ways in which clinical psychologists in Aotearoa New Zealand both uphold and resist harmful dominant discourses about fatness in their clinical work with fat clients.This research was critical, exploratory, and qualitative in design, drawing on principles of social justice and critical discursive psychology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 clinical psychologists located across Aotearoa New Zealand working in mental health or medical settings. Thematic discourse analysis was used to analyse the transcribed interview data. The results indicate that the participants largely reproduced biomedical and neoliberal discourses, as well as Eurocentric psychological tenets that psychopathologised the causes of fatness; favoured a dualistic approach to the mind-body relationship; neglected the body as a site of meaning and identity; and disregarded the social, structural, and cultural determinants of health. Participants’ views of fat client subjectivities intersected with clients’ other marginalised identities, including gender, race, and ethnicity. Most participants reported discomfort with the topic of their client’s fat body, and frequently evidenced avoidance of the topic. Participants positioned themselves as either ‘health advocates’ whose obligation was to support the client’s pursuit of ‘health’, or as ‘client advocates’, who sought to protect the client from shame associated with their fat body. Participants were seen to attempt to resolve the tensions between these opposing positions by ignoring the fat body, enacting a kind of ‘fat erasure’ in therapy. Participants further reported difficulty with finding appropriate language for talking about fatness, with all terminology surrounding fatness considered to be ‘troubling’. Recommendations include addressing psychologists’ bias towards fatness in training through integrating critical and Indigenous perspectives into postgraduate training, and specific training on professional bias, including fat bias. Furthermore, training perspectives require reorientation away from overemphasising mental processes towards an integration of mind-body in which the body is constituted as a site of meaning and identity. Psychologists can work towards a fat-friendly clinical practice by engaging with fat activist literature, weight-neutral models of health, and models of therapy that locate the client’s presenting concerns within broader cultural, political, and social contexts.

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Intersectionality and Sizeism: Implications for Mental Health Practitioners

Cited by 10 publications

References 77 publications

Weight-based stereotype threat in the workplace: consequences for employees with overweight or obesity

Weight-based stereotype threat in the workplace: consequences for employees with overweight or obesity

Sizeism in Education: What School Counselors Need to Know

The Framing of Fatness in the Profession of Psychology in Aotearoa New Zealand

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