How is weight stigma related to children's health-related quality of life? A model comparison approach

Purpose. Obesity is a highly stigmatizing condition for both adults and children, and both obesity and stigma experiences are negatively related with Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). However, the relations among these constructs have been modeled in different and sometimes inconsistent terms in past research, and have been the object of surprisingly few studies in pediatric populations. The present study addresses this gap by comparing, in a sample of pre-adolescent children, four competing models (i.e., additive, mediation, moderation, and moderated-mediation models) accounting for the role of stigma experiences in the concurrent relation between body weight and HRQoL. Methods: A co…