The Efficacy of Weight Bias Reduction Intervention for Counselors in Training

Abstract

Weight-based discrimination, or sizeism, is a form of discrimination that harms both psychological and physical health. Research specific to the professional counseling field has observed weight bias among practicing counselors as well as counselors-in-training. Research has also examined the factors contributing to weight bias among professional counselors. The present study sought to understand the efficacy of a weight bias reduction intervention for counselors-in-training. Specifically, this study examined the impact of an educational seminar about weight bias at reducing weight bias among counselors-in-training as measured by the AFAT (Lewis et al., 1997). The results revealed that the effect of time for the test group significantly impacted AFAT scores (F(1, 17) = 22.53, p = < .001) and demonstrated a statistically significant interaction between time and group (F(1, 33) = 8.11, p = .008). Further, this study evaluated the extent to which weight controllability beliefs impacted other negative beliefs about higher weight people. The results revealed that weight controllability beliefs, as measured by the WCB subscale of the AFAT, significantly predicted social/character disparagement beliefs as measured by the SCD subscale of the AFAT (β = .60, p < .001) and physical/romantic unattractiveness beliefs as measured by the PRU subscale of the AFAT (β = .63, p < .001). Exploratory analysis revealed that among participants, self-described body size predicted self-directed weight stigma as measured by the WBIS (Durso & Latner, 2008). Specifically, as body size increased, so too did self-directed weight stigma (β = .47, p < .004).