Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2023-5
Romantic partner undermining of weight loss: Links between overweight individuals’ weight management efforts and perceptions of their partner’s undermining motivations and behaviors
This study investigated romantic partners’ undermining of weight management (i.e. hindrance of weight loss efforts) and how perceived motivations behind undermining were associated with weight loss progress. Data from 241 overweight individuals currently cohabiting with a romantic partner and trying to lose weight revealed two overarching undermining factors (i.e. verbal criticism/complaint, behavioral interference) and six perceived motivations (e.g. partner believed weight loss was unnecessary, partner relational fears, weight loss was an imposition on partner). Path modeling showed both undermining behaviors were negatively associated with weight management. Yet, only certain motivations (e.g. imposition on partner, weight loss was unnecessary) were linked to weight management, either directly or indirectly, through undermining. Specifically, whereas criticism/complaint mediated the associations between these motivations and weight management, interference only mediated the association between imposition and weight management. Findings are discussed in terms of the theoretical and practical value of distinguishing undermining behaviors and their underlying motivations.
Arden-CloseEMcGrathN (2017) Health behaviour change interventions for couples: A systematic review. British Journal of Health Psychology22: 215–237.
2.
ArroyoABurkeTJYoungVJ (2020) The role of close others in promoting weight management and body image outcomes: An application of confirmation, self-determination, social control, and social support. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships37(3): 1030–1050.
3.
BallKCrawfordD (2006) An investigation of psychological, social and environmental correlates of obesity and weight gain in young women. International Journal of Obesity30(8): 1240–1249.
4.
BurkertNTRáskyÉGroßschädlF, et al. (2013) The influence of socioeconomic factors on health parameters in overweight and obese adults. PLoS One8(6): e65407.
5.
BurkeTJRandallAKCorkerySA, et al. (2012) “You’re going to eat that?”: Relationship processes and conflict among mixed-weight couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships29(8): 1109–1130.
6.
BurkeTJSegrinC (2017) Weight-related social control in couples: Associations with motives, constraints, and health behaviors. Communication Research44(3): 348–366.
7.
ButterfieldRMLewisMA (2002) Health-related social influence: A social ecological perspective on tactic use. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships19: 505–526.
8.
CarelsRAHlavkaRSelenskyJC, et al. (2020) The associations between wives’ internalized weight bias and other weight-related concerns, perceived husbands’ weight-related comments, perceived mate value, and psychological and relationship outcomes. Stigma and Health5(3): 258–268.
9.
CoyneJCWortmanCBLehmanDR (1988) The other side of support: Emotional over-involvement and miscarried helping. In: GottliebBH (ed.) Marshalling Social Support. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, pp.305–330.
10.
CraddockEVanDellenMRNovakSA, et al. (2015) Influence in relationships: A meta-analysis on health-related social control. Basic and Applied Social Psychology37: 118–130.
11.
DaileyRM (2019) Integrating strategies from three predominant theories regarding romantic partner support of weight loss. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships36: 3009–3036.
12.
DillardJPSegrinCHardenJM (1989) Primary and secondary goals in the production of interpersonal influence messages. Communication Monographs56: 19–38.
13.
FerraraMH (2006) The effect of self -efficacy, outcome expectations, and social communication on adherence to a meal replacement program. PhD Dissertation. Retrieved from ProQuest (UMI # 3236314).
14.
GoreJS (2014) The influence of close others in daily goal pursuit. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships31: 71–92.
15.
GorinAAPowersTAKoestnerR, et al. (2014) Autonomy support, self-regulation, and weight loss. Health Psychology33: 332–339.
16.
GuntzvillerLMRatcliffCLPusateriKB (2021) Expanding advice response theory by incorporating goal inference: College students’ perceptions of parental exercise advice. Communication Theory31(3): 336–359.
17.
HarpAG (2013) Partner undermining behaviors scale – weight loss (PUBS-WL): Constructing a measure of partner undermining during weight loss attempts. PhD Dissertation. Retrieved from ProQuest (UMI # 3538189)
18.
HenrySLRookKSStephensMA, et al. (2013) Spousal undermining of older diabetic patients’ disease management. Journal of Health Psychology18: 1550–1561.
19.
JacksonSESteptoeAWardleJ (2015) The influence of partner’s behavior on health behavior change: The English longitudinal study of ageing. Journal of American Medical Association Internal Medicine175: 385–392.
20.
JacksonT (2006) Relationships between perceived close social support and health practices within community samples of American women and men. The Journal of Psychology140: 229–246.
21.
JASP Team (2021) JASP (Version 0.15) [Computer software].
22.
KiernanMMooreSDSchoffmanDE, et al. (2012) Social support for healthy behaviors: Scale psychometrics and prediction of weight loss among women in a behavioral program. Obesity20(4): 756–764.
23.
Kluever RomoLDaileyRM (2014) Weighty dynamics: Exploring couples’ perceptions of post-weight-loss interaction. Health Communication29: 193–204.
24.
LewisMAButterfieldRM (2005) Antecedents and reactions to health-related social control. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin31: 416–427.
25.
LewisMAMcBrideCMPollakKI, et al. (2006) Understanding health behavior change among couples: An interdependence and communal coping approach. Social Science & Medicine62: 1369–1380.
26.
Lindsay SmithGBantingLEimeR, et al. (2017) The association between social support and physical activity in older adults: A systematic review. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity14(1): 56.
27.
LoCCAsh-HouchenWGerlingHM, et al. (2020) Data spanning three decades illustrate racial disparities in likelihood of obesity. Ethnicity and Health25(5): 686–701.
28.
LogelCStinsonDAGunnGR, et al. (2014) A little acceptance is good for your health: Interpersonal messages and weight change over time. Personal Relationships21(4): 583–598.
29.
MacGeorgeELFengBBurlesonBR (2011) Supportive communication. In: KnappMLDalyJA (eds) The Sage Handbook of Interpersonal Communication. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, pp.317–354.
30.
MackenbachJP (2014) Cultural values and population health: A quantitative analysis of variations in cultural values, health behaviours and health outcomes among 42 European countries. Health & Place28: 116–132.
31.
MackertMStanforthDGarciaAA (2011) Undermining of nutrition and exercise decisions: Experiencing negative social influence. Public Health Nursing28: 402–410.
32.
MarkeyCNMarkeyPMGrayHF (2007) Romantic relationships and health: An examination of individuals’ perceptions of their romantic partners’ influences on their health. Sex Roles57: 435–445.
33.
McLaughlinEACampos-MeladyMSmithJE, et al. (2017) The role of familism in weight loss treatment for Mexican American women. Journal of Health Psychology22(12): 1510–1523.
34.
MetzgarCJPrestonAGMillerDL, et al. (2015) Facilitators and barriers to weight loss and weight loss maintenance: A qualitative exploration. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics28(6): 593–603.
35.
MeylerDStimpsonJPPeekMK (2007) Health concordance within couples: A systematic review. Social Science & Medicine64: 2297–2310.
36.
MontgomeryKSBusheeTDPhillipsJD, et al. (2011) Women’s challenges with postpartum weight loss. Maternal and Child Health Journal15(8): 1176–1184.
37.
MooreDJWilliamsDR (2011) Emotional distress about weight gain and attitude to goal achievement failure as predictors of self-regulatory efficacy: Does ethnicity make a difference?Journal of Health Psychology16(6): 895–904.
38.
NautaASandersK (2001) Causes and consequences of perceived goal differences between departments within manufacturing organizations. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology74(3): 321–342.
39.
Newton-JohnTRVenturaADMoselyK, et al. (2017) ‘Are you sure you’re going to have another one of those?’: A qualitative analysis of the social control and social support models in type 2 diabetes. Journal of Health Psychology22(14): 1819–1829.
40.
NovakJRWilsonSJGastJ, et al. (2021) Associations between partner’s diet undermining and poor diet in mixed-weight, older gay married couples: A dyadic mediation model. Health Psychology36(10): 1147–1164.
41.
NovakSA (2005) The impact of social control on health behavior and psychological well-being. PhD Dissertation. Retrieved from ProQuest (UMI # 3196557).
42.
OetzelJDuranBJiangY, et al. (2007) Social support and social undermining as correlates for alcohol, drug, and mental disorders in American Indian women presenting for primary care at an Indian health service hospital. Journal of Health Communication12: 187–206.
43.
PalomaresNA (2008) Toward a theory of goal detection in social interaction: Effects of contextual ambiguity and tactical functionality on goal inferences and inference certainty. Communication Research35(1): 109–148.
44.
PaulyTGerstorfDWahlHW, et al. (2021) A developmental-contextual model of couple synchrony across adulthood and old age. Psychology and Aging36(8): 943–956.
45.
RayCDBurkeTJYoungVJ, et al. (2019) Enacting social control to encourage healthier partner diet and exercise behavior: Considering the roles of constraints and topic avoidance. Southern Communication Journal84(5): 301–313.
46.
R Core Team (2020) R: A language and environment for statistical computing.
47.
RosasRPimentaFMarocoJ, et al. (2019) Perceived consequences of a successful weight loss: A pluralist qualitative study. Journal of Health Psychology24(8): 1043–1055.
48.
RosseelY (2012) Lavaan: AnRPackage for Structural Equation Modeling. Journal of Statistical Software48(2): 1–36.
49.
RouseSV (2015) A reliability analysis of mechanical Turk data. Computers in Human Behavior43: 304–307.
50.
RydénPJSydnerYM (2011) Implementing and sustaining dietary change in the context of social relationships: Implementing and sustaining dietary change. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences25(3): 583–590.
51.
SallisJFGrossmanRMPinskiRB, et al. (1987) The development of scales to measure social support for diet and exercise behaviors. Preventive Medicine16(6): 825–836.
52.
SorkinDHMavandadiSRookKS, et al. (2014) Dyadic collaboration in shared health behavior change: The effects of a randomized trial to test a lifestyle intervention for high-risk Latinas. Health Psychology33(6): 566–575.
53.
TheissJACarpenterAMLeustekJ (2016) Partner facilitation and partner interference in individuals’ weight loss goals. Qualitative Health Research26: 1318–1330.
54.
TuckerJSMuellerJS (2000) Spouses’ social control of health behaviors: Use and effectiveness of specific strategies. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin26: 1120–1130.
55.
VerheijdenMWBakxJCvan WeelC, et al. (2005) Role of social support in lifestyle-focused weight management interventions. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition59: S179–S186.
56.
VinokurADvan RynM (1993) Social support and undermining in close relationships: Their independent effects on the mental health of unemployed persons. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology65: 350–359.
57.
WhaleKGillisonFBSmithPC (2014) ‘Are you still on that stupid diet?’: Women’s experiences of societal pressure and support regarding weight loss, and attitudes towards health policy intervention. Journal of Health Psychology19(12): 1536–1546.
58.
YoungVJBurkeTJCurranMA (2019) Interpersonal effects of health-related social control: Positive and negative influence, partner health transformations, and relationship quality. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships36(11-12): 3986–4004.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
