Undergraduate research links weight discrimination to mental health issues among LGB individuals
Research shows a need for improved mental healthcare approaches for weight-stigmatized LGB individuals
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Published
Undergraduate research links weight discrimination to mental health issues among LGB individuals
•
Published
Miami University Biology major and Pre-Medical Studies co-major Emily Martin ’25 conducted research examining how weight discrimination affects LGB (lesbian, gay, and bisexual) individuals, specifically its connections to disordered eating, anxiety, and depression.
She worked with faculty mentor Jeffrey Hunger, assistant professor of Psychology, in the Hunger lab, for her Honors thesis project.
Martin’s project, titled “Intersecting Stigmas and Disordered Eating: An Analysis of Weight Stigma and Homophobic Discrimination Among Higher-Weight LGB Individuals,” showed two key findings. First, within-community weight discrimination among higher-weight LGB individuals contributes to disordered eating. Second, depression and anxiety symptoms partially mediate this relationship.
“A lot of the research we see on eating disorders focuses on young athletes or people who are not in a sexual minority,” Martin explained. In the future, Martin — who is now a medical student at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health — wants to work in a medical practice that includes eating disorder treatment, working with underrepresented groups to better serve diverse patient populations.
With Hunger’s supervision, Martin used Prolific – a platform connecting researchers to diverse participants – to conduct her study. She surveyed 444 participants about within-community weight discrimination, anxiety and depression, and global eating disorder behaviors. The survey feedback showed two significant findings: Within-community discrimination directly affects disordered eating outcomes and anxiety/depression mediates the relationship between weight discrimination and eating disorder behaviors.
Martin simplified her findings: “If you experience within-community discrimination, you may develop anxiety and depression which can lead to disordered eating behaviors, or you might develop these independently,” she said.
According to Martin, these findings align with existing research on weight stigma’s impact on sexual minority populations. Previous studies have shown that weight stigma increases psychological distress and maladaptive eating behaviors. Martin’s results further support research linking weight-based discrimination to emotional eating and binge eating as coping mechanisms.
Martin emphasized the broader implications of her findings. “Individuals in this community who are experiencing weight stigma show high rates of anxiety and depression, leading to worse health outcomes and higher suicide rates,” Martin said.
The research raises critical questions about intervention strategies, she said. “How can we intervene here and what kind of nuanced ways can we treat and support these patients? Our current healthcare system and primary care physicians don’t serve this population to the best of its abilities for weight and mental health issues,” Martin said.
Survey participants identified specific needs despite the complexity of potential solutions. They stressed the importance of community outreach that supports their sexual identity, weight identity, and mental health simultaneously. Martin said the research reinforces the need for inclusive, community-focused mental health intervention and stigma reduction efforts.
Martin reflected on her approach to patient care: “Each individual has their own experience with eating disorders and with weight stigma. I want to be able to meet them where they are,” Martin said.
Since Martin lacked experience with psychology statistics, Hunger guided her through data collection and analysis processes. The project challenged Martin, teaching her critical thinking and creative thinking skills, but most importantly, provided valuable insights into her future patient care approach.
She worked with faculty mentor Jeffrey Hunger, assistant professor of Psychology, in the Hunger lab, for her Honors thesis project.
Martin’s project, titled “Intersecting Stigmas and Disordered Eating: An Analysis of Weight Stigma and Homophobic Discrimination Among Higher-Weight LGB Individuals,” showed two key findings. First, within-community weight discrimination among higher-weight LGB individuals contributes to disordered eating. Second, depression and anxiety symptoms partially mediate this relationship.
“A lot of the research we see on eating disorders focuses on young athletes or people who are not in a sexual minority,” Martin explained. In the future, Martin — who is now a medical student at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health — wants to work in a medical practice that includes eating disorder treatment, working with underrepresented groups to better serve diverse patient populations.
With Hunger’s supervision, Martin used Prolific – a platform connecting researchers to diverse participants – to conduct her study. She surveyed 444 participants about within-community weight discrimination, anxiety and depression, and global eating disorder behaviors. The survey feedback showed two significant findings: Within-community discrimination directly affects disordered eating outcomes and anxiety/depression mediates the relationship between weight discrimination and eating disorder behaviors.
Martin simplified her findings: “If you experience within-community discrimination, you may develop anxiety and depression which can lead to disordered eating behaviors, or you might develop these independently,” she said.
According to Martin, these findings align with existing research on weight stigma’s impact on sexual minority populations. Previous studies have shown that weight stigma increases psychological distress and maladaptive eating behaviors. Martin’s results further support research linking weight-based discrimination to emotional eating and binge eating as coping mechanisms.
Martin emphasized the broader implications of her findings. “Individuals in this community who are experiencing weight stigma show high rates of anxiety and depression, leading to worse health outcomes and higher suicide rates,” Martin said.
The research raises critical questions about intervention strategies, she said. “How can we intervene here and what kind of nuanced ways can we treat and support these patients? Our current healthcare system and primary care physicians don’t serve this population to the best of its abilities for weight and mental health issues,” Martin said.
Survey participants identified specific needs despite the complexity of potential solutions. They stressed the importance of community outreach that supports their sexual identity, weight identity, and mental health simultaneously. Martin said the research reinforces the need for inclusive, community-focused mental health intervention and stigma reduction efforts.
Martin reflected on her approach to patient care: “Each individual has their own experience with eating disorders and with weight stigma. I want to be able to meet them where they are,” Martin said.
Since Martin lacked experience with psychology statistics, Hunger guided her through data collection and analysis processes. The project challenged Martin, teaching her critical thinking and creative thinking skills, but most importantly, provided valuable insights into her future patient care approach.
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