Validation of the weight self-stigma questionnaire in a polish sample: Factor structure and measurement invariance by gender.

BACKGROUND

This cross-sectional study aimed to confirm the factorial structure of the Polish Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire (WSSQ) and to test structural validity, internal consistency and measurement invariance of the questionnaire across gender, Body Mass Index (BMI) and other psychological measures.

METHODS

The sample was recruited from the general Polish population (N = 1055), age 18-55. Participants completed the WSSQ, The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0), Emotional Eating and Restrained Eating subscales from The Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 (DASS-21) and sociodemographic survey.

RESULTS

The Polish WSSQ showed good overlap with the original structure in the two-factor model (Self-devaluation and Fear of Enacted Stigma). Factor loadings were satisfactory and both subscales showed good internal consistency. The scale demonstrated metric, but not scalar, measurement invariance by gender. The construct validity was confirmed with strong correlations with emotional eating and food addiction. As expected, the WSSQ total score was moderately positively associated with depression and stress severity. The correlations were the weakest for restrained eating and body mass index.

CONCLUSION

The Polish WSSQ is a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of weight-related self-stigma among patients with overweight/obesity. Men and women can be compared when examining association of WSSQ with other measures but gender differences on the WSSQ itself should be interpreted with caution. Future studies should further investigate potential gender differences as well as the test-retest reliability and longitudinal invariance.