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Overt and Subtle Discrimination, Subjective Well-Being and Physical Health-Related Quality Of Life in an Obese Sample

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2014

Alejandro Magallares ,
Pilar Benito de Valle ,
Jose Antonio Irles  and
Ignacio Jauregui-Lobera
Alejandro Magallares*
Affiliation:
Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (Spain)
Pilar Benito de Valle
Affiliation:
Hospital Nuestra Señora de Valme (Spain)
Jose Antonio Irles
Affiliation:
Hospital Nuestra Señora de Valme (Spain)
Ignacio Jauregui-Lobera
Affiliation:
Universidad Pablo de Olavide (Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Alejandro Magallares. Departamento de Psicología Social y de las Organizaciones. Facultad de Psicología UNED. C/ Juan del Rosal, 10. 28040. Madrid (Spain). E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Obesity represents a serious health issue affecting millions of people in Western industrialized countries. The severity of the medical problems it causes is paralleled by the fact that obesity has become a social stigma that affects the psychological health-related quality of life of individuals with weight problems. Our study, with 111 obese patients of a Spanish hospital, focused specifically on how overt and subtle discrimination is related to subjective well-being (affect balance and life satisfaction) and physical health-related quality of life. It was shown that overt (r = –.28, p < .01 with affect balance; r = –.26, p < .01 with life satisfaction) and subtle discrimination (r = –.28, p < .01 with affect balance; r = –.27, p < .01 with life satisfaction) were negatively linked with subjective well-being, and that there was a negative correlation between overt discrimination and physical health-related quality of life (r = –.26, p < .01). Additionally, it was found that overt discrimination was a mediator variable in the relationship between physical health-related quality of life and subjective well-being using the Baron and Kenny procedure. Finally, it is discussed the relationship between discrimination, subjective well-being and physical health-related quality of life in obese people.

Keywords

obesityovert discriminationsubtle discriminationsubjective well-beingphysical health-related quality of life
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 17 , 2014 , E64
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2014 

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