Influence of Body Image and Perceived Stigmatization on Psychological Wellbeing of Obese Women in the Kumasi Metropolis

Abstract

Obesity is found to have a significant impact on body image perception and overall well-being. In many western societies, being slim is deemed attractive and very much admired. However, in some developing countries, the opposite seems to be the case. This quantitative study assessed the influence of body image and weight-related stigma on the psychological well-being of obese women in the Kumasi Metropolis. A sample of 384 obese women purposely selected from health shops and some fitness centers. The body shape questionnaire BSQ-34, the inventory of the Stigmatization Situation (SSI) and finally, the psychological well-being tools were used. The statistical tools used for the analysis included frequency distributions, one-sample t-test analysis, Pearson Moment Correlation Coefficient, and simple linear regression analysis. The tests were conducted for significant differences at a significance level of 0.05. From the results, it was found that generally obese women in the Kumasi Metropolis were significantly satisfied with their body image. It was also found that, Perceived weight-related stigma does not significantly influence the psychological well-being of obese women on the Kumasi Metropolis. The study, therefore, concluded that psychological wellbeing of obese women in the Kumasi Metropolis is not affected by body image satisfaction and weight-related stigma. From the study, it is recommended that counsellors, clinical psychologists and other mental health professionals prioritize and tailor make their therapeutic practices and public lectures to enable concerned obese women to overcome their body image dissatisfaction.