Weight stigma in patients with overweight and obesity: validation of the Italian Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire (WSSQ)

Abstract

Purpose This study aimed to explore the factorial structure of the Italian Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire (WSSQ) (Study1); and to test structural validity, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and measurement invariance of the questionnaire across gender, Body Mass Index (BMI), age and occurrence of previous hospitalization for obesity (Study2). Methods At admission into a hospital-based program for weight reduction and rehabilitation, 150 inpatients with overweight/obesity (68% females) completed the WSSQ (Study1). In Study2, in addition to the WSSQ, 446 inpatients (61.9% females) completed the Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBIS), the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). A subsample of 40 patients also re-completed the WSSQ at discharge from the hospital. Results The Italian WSSQ showed good overlap with the original factorial structure (Study1) and results were confirmed in Study2. Test–retest reliability and convergent validity showed adequate values. Measurement invariance revealed that WSSQ was perfectly invariant across both BMI and the occurrence of previous hospitalizations for obesity. In both studies, the internal consistency of the questionnaire was deemed acceptable. Conclusions The Italian WSSQ is a valid, reliable, and invariant tool for the assessment of weight-related self-stigma among patients with overweight/obesity. Future studies should assess its longitudinal invariance as well as its responsiveness to weight reduction treatments. Level of evidence V, descriptive study.

Weight Stigma among Young Adults in Thailand: Reliability, Validation, and Measurement Invariance of the Thai-Translated Weight Self Stigma Questionnaire and Perceived Weight Stigma Scale

“…Similar to previous findings, the Thai WSSQ showed measurement invariance across gender (female vs. male) and weight status (non-overweight vs. overweight) [ 2 , 25 ]. The results illustrated that the factor structure of the WSSQ is similar across both the gender (female and male) and weight status (non-overweight and overweight) subgroups.…”

“…The WSSQ is a self-reported instrument assessing weight-related self-stigma [ 25 ]. It contains 12 items, and every item is rated on a 5-Likert point scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree ) [ 25 ].…”

“…The WSSQ is a self-reported instrument assessing weight-related self-stigma [ 25 ]. It contains 12 items, and every item is rated on a 5-Likert point scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree ) [ 25 ]. The WSSQ is comprised of two subscales including self-devaluation (factor I, items 1–6) and fear of enacted stigma (factor II, items 7–12) [ 4 , 15 ].…”

Screening for Distress in Oncological Patients: The Revised Version of the Psychological Distress Inventory (PDI-R)

“…Starting from this background, in line with previous researches (Panzeri et al, 2021c;Parola et al, 2022;Rossi et al, 2022), the aim of the first study here reported was to extensively examine the factorial structure of the PDI. To achieve this goal, EGA was used: an innovative technique, particularly precise and sensitive in identifying the correct number of factors/dimensions (Golino and Epskamp, 2017).…”

Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire (S-WSSQ) in a sample of participants with obesity seeking weight loss treatment

“…The Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire (WSSQ) is an instrument specifically designed to measure weight self-stigma in populations with overweight or obesity that was originally developed in the United States [ 13 ]. The WSSQ has been validated so far in German [ 14 ], Chinese [ 15 ], Turkish [ 16 ], French [ 17 ], Italian [ 18 ], and Malaysian [ 19 ] populations. The original version of the WSSQ [ 13 ] showed a two-factor model, corresponding to self-devaluation (negative thoughts and emotions about being obese) and fear of enacted stigma (involves the perception of being discriminated, as well as the identification to a stigmatized group), and it had adequate reliability (with Cronbach’s alphas = 0.81 and 0.87, respectively).…”