self-stigma

Developing effective therapeutic protocols for LGBTQIA+ individuals requires a commitment to practices that do not perpetuate suffering. Addressing negative internalizations and minority stress are two common transdiagnostic aspects within this population. Therapeutic models, such as Schema Therapy (ST), have emerged as a promising strategy; however, research in this area is scarce. This study aimed to evaluate an Affirmative ST program for LGB individuals. The program was tested in a pilot study involving nine participants. A total of 10 sessions were conducted, and the evaluation focused on: positive and negative affect, anxiety, stress (including minority stress), and depression. The effects of the intervention were analyzed using the Hageman-Arrindell approach and GEE. Significant differences were found for: reduction in depression; stress; anxiety; negative affect; and an increase in positive affect and stigma perception. This research represents a pioneering effort in the field of ST with LGBTQIA+ individuals, and further studies are encouraged.

Gender inequality in higher education remains a concern in rural Pakistan, where women’s education opportunities are shaped by social expectations concerning mobility, family responsibilities, and appropriate gender roles. This study examined how social stigmatization associated with staying at home and performing domestic roles is experienced by rural females and how public and self-stigma relate to their participation in higher education. A qualitative descriptive phenomenological design was employed. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews from 30 participants in rural Pakistan, including eight female students and nine female family members, and 13 male family and community members. Thematic analysis identified four interrelated themes: restricted mobility and chaperonage, conditional educational and career aspirations, internalized domestic identity, and protectionist concerns surrounding coeducation. The findings indicate that female education was generally valued, but support was often conditional on family approval, proximity to home, supervision, and conformity with socially accepted roles as daughters, wives, and mothers. Public stigma was reflected in shared expectations that restricted women’s mobility, educational location, and career choices. While self-stigma through self-censorship became apparent when some female students anticipated these judgments and adjusted their educational aspirations accordingly. These findings suggest that educational inequality in the setting examined is associated not only with material and institutional barriers but also with social judgments and their internalization. By applying a stigma perspective, the study provides a context-specific account of how public stigma, self-stigma, and self-censorship may interact with gendered expectations to narrow higher education opportunities for rural females.

OBJECTIVE: Food noise has been studied with GLP-1-based therapies, but not with metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS), despite shared mechanisms. Data on food noise beyond initial weight loss are limited, and weight self-stigma (WSS), which links to poorer weight outcomes and risky behaviors after MBS, may relate to higher food noise, especially during weight stabilization. This study investigates whether WSS is associated with increased food noise during stable weight following MBS. METHODS: Adults who remained weight stable following MBS completed the Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire (WSSQ) and Food Noise Questionnaire (FNQ). Multivariable linear regression examined associations between WSSQ scores (total and self-devaluation/fear of enacted stigma subscales) and FNQ scores. RESULTS: Participants (n = 60) were 13.3 ± 4.5 months post surgery, with a maximum weight loss of 24.8% ± 8.4%. Higher WSSQ total (B = 0.29, p = 0.001) and self-devaluation subscale (B = 0.36, p = 0.021) scores were associated with higher FNQ scores. CONCLUSIONS: Food noise increased with higher WSS, particularly among individuals reporting greater self-devaluation due to weight during postoperative weight stability. Further research should map this relationship across postoperative weight stages, test causal direction, and identify mechanisms. Because WSS and food noise can undermine health behaviors, weight loss, and health gains after MBS, routine screening and integrated clinical interventions may be warranted.

هدف: نویز غذایی در درمان‌های مبتنی بر GLP-1 مورد مطالعه قرار گرفته است، اما با وجود مکانیسم‌های مشترک، در جراحی متابولیک چاقی (MBS) بررسی نشده است. داده‌ها دربارهٔ نویز غذایی فراتر از کاهش وزن اولیه محدود هستند و انگ خود‌وزنی (WSS) که با پیامدهای ضعیف‌تر وزنی و رفتارهای پرخطر پس از MBS مرتبط است، ممکن است با نویز غذایی بالاتر، به‌ویژه در دورهٔ پایداری وزن، ارتباط داشته باشد. این مطالعه بررسی می‌کند که آیا WSS با افزایش نویز غذایی در دورهٔ پایداری وزن پس از MBS مرتبط است یا خیر. روش‌ها: بزرگسالانی که پس از MBS وزن پایداری داشتند، پرسشنامهٔ انگ خود‌وزنی (WSSQ) و پرسشنامهٔ نویز غذایی (FNQ) را تکمیل کردند. رگرسیون خطی چندمتغیره ارتباط بین نمرات WSSQ (کل و زیرمقیاس‌های خودتحقیری/ترس از انگ اعمال‌شده) و نمرات FNQ را بررسی کرد. نتایج: شرکت‌کنندگان (n = 60) به طور میانگین ۱۳٫۳ ± ۴٫۵ ماه پس از جراحی بودند و بیشینهٔ کاهش وزن آن‌ها ۲۴٫۸٪ ± ۸٫۴٪ بود. نمرات بالاتر کل WSSQ (B = 0.29, p = 0.001) و زیرمقیاس خودتحقیری (B = 0.36, p = 0.021) با نمرات بالاتر FNQ ارتباط داشت. نتیجه‌گیری: نویز غذایی با افزایش WSS، به‌ویژه در میان افرادی که خودتحقیری بیشتری به دلیل وزن در دورهٔ پایداری وزن پس از عمل گزارش کردند، افزایش یافت. پژوهش‌های بیشتر باید این رابطه را در مراحل مختلف وزنی پس از عمل ترسیم کند، جهت علیت را بیازماید و سازوکارها را شناسایی کند. از آنجا که WSS و نویز غذایی می‌توانند رفتارهای سلامت، کاهش وزن و دستاوردهای سلامت پس از MBS را تضعیف کنند، غربالگری روتین و مداخلات بالینی یکپارچه ممکن است ضروری باشد.