“Better If They Laugh with Me than at Me”: The Role of Humor in Coping with Obesity-Related Stigma in Women

Natalia Mazurkiewicz, Mariusz Lipowski, Jarosław Krefta and Małgorzata Lipowska
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Natalia Mazurkiewicz: Institute of Psychology, University of Gdańsk, 80-309 Gdańsk, Poland
Mariusz Lipowski: Department of Psychology, Gdańsk University of Physical Education and Sport, 80-336 Gdańsk, Poland
Jarosław Krefta: Creative Code Studio—Jarosław Krefta, 81-602 Gdynia, Poland
Małgorzata Lipowska: Institute of Psychology, University of Gdańsk, 80-309 Gdańsk, Poland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-14

Abstract: This study investigated the role of perceived stigmatization in the relationship between humor styles and coping with stress among young women suffering from stigma due to obesity. In the 21st century, obesity is an increasing global health issue with many physical and mental consequences for obese women. As a chronic stigmatizing disease, it requires that the affected individuals cope with social consequences; women with obesity are more prone to such consequences than men. Humor fosters the breaking of stereotypes and alleviating the consequences of stigmatization. A total of 127 young adult women (age M = 25.74, SD = 2.73) participated in the study ( n = 54 with overfat and n = 73 with healthy fat). Participants filled out the Humor Styles Questionnaire, Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire, and the Brief COPE Scale. Anthropometric data were gathered using a body composition analyzer. Results indicate that, when perceiving hostile behaviors toward themselves and using humor as a coping strategy, women with overfat select maladaptive styles of humor (i.e., self-defeating and aggressive styles). Women with overfat were also more likely to use humor as a coping strategy in difficult situations. Furthermore, none of the participants were satisfied with their body mass. At the same time, among women without obesity, a lack of compliments was not treated as a problem, even if they had high body fat.

Keywords: obesity; coping with stress; stigmatization; humor style; body esteem (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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