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Distribution and disavowal: Managing the parental stigma of Children's weight and weight loss

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  • Davis, Jenny L.
  • Goar, Carla
  • Manago, Bianca
  • Reidinger, Bobbi

Abstract

Parents who seek weight loss treatment for their children find themselves pulled between double moral burdens. Blamed and shamed for the weight itself while culpable for the psychological effects of encouraging weight loss, parental stigma comes from multiple directions. Through interviews with parents who send their children to weight loss camps (N = 47), we ask: how do parents maintain a moral sense of self? We show that parents distribute moral blame for their children's weight and disavow moral blame for encouraging weight loss. We further interrogate how parents' own weight status informs moral management strategies. We find parents' bodies and biographies affect the ways distribution and disavowal take form. Parents with self-identified weight problems internalize significant self-blame for children's weight gain, while parents without personal weight problems more freely allocate blame to outside actors and factors. However, when disavowing the effects of encouraging weight loss, parents with current or past weight issues rely on a shared experience that is unavailable to their slender counterparts. Our findings elucidate the moral tensions of parents who embark on weight loss intervention for their children while highlighting the interplay between primary and associative moral stigma in a family context.

Suggested Citation

  • Davis, Jenny L. & Goar, Carla & Manago, Bianca & Reidinger, Bobbi, 2018. "Distribution and disavowal: Managing the parental stigma of Children's weight and weight loss," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 219(C), pages 61-69.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:219:y:2018:i:c:p:61-69
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.10.015
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Thomas, Felicity, 2006. "Stigma, fatigue and social breakdown: Exploring the impacts of HIV/AIDS on patient and carer well-being in the Caprivi Region, Namibia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(12), pages 3174-3187, December.
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    4. Khamis, Vivian, 2007. "Psychological distress among parents of children with mental retardation in the United Arab Emirates," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(4), pages 850-857, February.
    5. Manago, Bianca & Davis, Jenny L. & Goar, Carla, 2017. "Discourse in Action: Parents’ use of medical and social models to resist disability stigma," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 169-177.
    6. Green, Sara E., 2003. ""What do you mean 'what's wrong with her?'": stigma and the lives of families of children with disabilities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(8), pages 1361-1374, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ringel, Megan M. & Ditto, Peter H., 2019. "The moralization of obesity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 237(C), pages 1-1.
    2. Miller, Mahala & Swartz, Teresa Toguchi, 2024. "“Getting Moving” and Being “Active Fit”: Class Differences and Similarities in Health-promoting Parenting through Children's Organized Athletic Activities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 347(C).
    3. Joslyn, Mark R. & Haider-Markel, Donald P., 2019. "Perceived causes of obesity, emotions, and attitudes about Discrimination Policy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 97-103.

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