"i Feel like Less of a Mom": Experiences of Weight Stigma by Association among Mothers of Children with Overweight and Obesity

Background: Parents of children with higher weight are blamed and shamed for their children's weight. However, parents' experiences of this form of stigma, termed weight stigma by association, are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the sources, forms, and impacts of weight stigma by association among mothers of children with overweight or obesity. Methods: In this qualitative study, mothers who reported concern about their children's weight participated in semistructured interviews administered by the research team. A coding scheme was developed and reliably applied to interview transcripts. Mothers' self-reported sociodemographic information, and height and weight were measured. Results: Thirty-four mothers (Mage: 43.4 years; 26.5% non-Hispanic Black or African American, 70.6% with obesity) participated in the study. Mothers reported that family members were a common source of negative comments about their children's weight; these comments were often critical of mothers' parenting and in some cases contributed to negative affect among mothers. Many mothers also reported negative experiences during children's physicians' visits as a result of their children's weight. Almost all mothers expressed guilt and sadness for their perceived role in their children's weight status, expressing regret that they did not parent differently. Conclusions: Mothers of children with overweight and obesity are frequently the target of weight stigma by association and experience negative cognitions and emotions regarding their perceived role in their children's weight. Continued research is needed to elucidate the impacts of stigma by association due to child weight on parents' health, the parent/child relationship, and children's health.