@article {Brian:2016:1981-6472:125,
title = "Perceived and Actual Weight Stigma Among Romantic Couples",
journal = "Interpersona : An International Journal on Personal Relationships",
parent_itemid = "infobike://doaj/19816472",
publishercode ="doaj",
year = "2016",
volume = "10",
number = "2",
publication date ="2016-01-01T00:00:00",
pages = "125-135",
itemtype = "ARTICLE",
issn = "1981-6472",
url = "https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/doaj/19816472/2016/00000010/00000002/art00002",
doi = "doi:10.5964/ijpr.v10i2.206",
author = "Brian Collisson and David Rusbasan",
abstract = "According to research on weight bias, relationship stigma may be greater among romantic couples comprised of at least one overweight partner, as compared to two healthy-weight partners. However, comparison theories predict that the stigma of being overweight may be greater among mixed-weight couples (i.e., romantic partners with dissimilar body mass indexes; BMI) than matched-weight couples (e.g., similarly overweight partners). To test these rival hypotheses, we assessed perceived and actual stigma experienced by mixed-weight and matched-weight couples. In two studies, people inferred (Study 1) or reported the actual amount (Study 2) of relational stigma and weight-related discomfort experienced by a healthy-weight/overweight person in a mixed/matched-weight relationship. Supporting the weight bias hypothesis, people inferred overweight people and their partners experience greater stigma and weight-related discomfort (Study 1). However, only overweight people in a matched-weight, as compared to mixed-weight, relationships actually reported greater relational stigma and weight-related discomfort (Study 2).",
}