The role of body image flexibility in the relationship between disordered eating cognitions and disordered eating symptoms among non-clinical college students

ObjectiveA growing body of evidence suggests that rigid and inflexible regulation and coping are at the core of psychopathology, including disordered eating (DE) problems. Employing two cross-sectional studies, the present paper investigated whether body image flexibility (BIF), a specific type of psychological flexibility, mediates the relations between DE cognitions and overall DE pathology.MethodEthnically diverse non-clinical college undergraduates (Study 1 N = 208; Study 2 N = 178) completed an anonymous online survey.ResultsBIF was found to partially mediate the relationship between DE cognitions and overall DE pathology after controlling for gender and body mass index (BMI).DiscussionOur findings suggest that the link between DE cognitions and overall DE pathology is established in part through an inflexible and avoidant coping style specific to negative body image. Clinical implications include targeting BIF as a mechanism of change and treating DE pathology with acceptance- and mindfulness-based behavioral interventions.     

Reciprocal prospective associations between disordered eating and other psychological problems in a community sample of Swedish adolescent girls

Disordered eating and its associations with psychological difficulties and body satisfaction were prospectively studied in a community sample of 13–15 year old adolescent girls (N = 428). General psychological difficulties (including hyperactivity–inattention) and lower levels of body satisfaction at T1 were found to predict disordered eating at follow-up one year later (T2). Furthermore, reciprocal associations were found between disordered eating and psychological difficulties (but not body dissatisfaction) so that disordered eating at T1 predicted general psychological difficulties (including hyperactivity–inattention) at T2. The results support the notion of a vicious interplay between disordered eating and other subclinical psychological problems, which may represent a potential mechanism for the development of clinically significant eating disorders. It is suggested that it could be important to identify these kinds of bidirectional processes at an early stage, in order to prevent further developments of clinical forms of psychopathology.     

Association of thin-ideal media exposure,body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors among adolescents in Taiwan

ObjectiveThe present study examined the relationships between thin-ideal media exposure, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behaviors among adolescents in Taiwan.MethodA total of 2992 students in the 10th grade were recruited from 26 high schools in Taipei, Taiwan to complete a questionnaire in 2010.ResultsThe results showed that the adolescents were exposed to thin-ideal messages a few times a week. Females had higher levels of thin-ideal media exposure, media pressure to be thin, thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behaviors than males. Multivariate logistic regression results indicated that media pressure and thin-deal internalization significantly increased the likelihood of body dissatisfaction, while media pressure and body dissatisfaction contributed to both restrained eating and unhealthy weight control behaviors, when all other variables were controlled for.     

围青春期女生身体成分与体质量指数协同变化关系

探索围青春期女生身体成分与体质量指数(BMI)的关系,为有针对性进行肥胖预防提供理论基础.方法 以2015年1-12月天津市体质检测中心测试的10~16岁中小学女生2 023名为研究对象,测试其基本形态指标和身体成分.结果 10~ 16岁女生的BMI与体脂、体脂/身高2、体重、体脂百分比呈中高度相关(r值分别为0.905,0.891,0.844和0.878,P值均<0.01);BMI与去脂体重、去脂体重/身高2呈低到中度相关(r值分别为0.507,0.636,P值均<0.01).11~16岁各年龄组体重、去脂体重均高于10岁时的体重、去脂体重,差异均有统计学意义(P值均<0.05).12~ 16岁各年龄组的脂肪重量均高于10岁时的脂肪重量,差异均有统计学意义(P值均<0.05).13,15,16岁时的BMI、体脂重量/身高2值高于10岁时的BMI、体脂重量/身高2;12,15,16岁时的去脂体重/身高2高于10岁时的去脂体重/身高2,差异均有统计学意义(P值均<0.05).结论 围青春期尤其是12~13岁女生体质量指数和身体成分变动幅度大.应为不同年龄段的女生制定不同的体力活动及营养健康计划.     

Association between eating out of home and body weight

Eating outside of the home environment on a frequent basis has been associated with weight gain. Food choices when eating out are usually high in energy content, which contributes to excessive energy intake; however, the available data on out-of-home eating and obesity are far from conclusive. This systematic review assesses the association between out-of-home eating and body weight in adults over 18 years of age. The literature databases searched included Medline, Embase, Lilacs, The Cochrane Library, and the ISI Web of Knowledge. The review includes a comprehensive quality assessment of all included observational studies, 20 cross-sectional studies, and 8 prospective cohort studies. All but one of the prospective cohort studies and about half of the cross-sectional analyses found a positive association between out-of-home eating and body weight. However, many methodological differences among the studies were found, such as the definition of out-of-home eating and its assessment, which limits comparisons. The results of the present analysis suggest that in future studies fast-food restaurants and other out-of-home dining venues should be analyzed separately, assessments based on a single 24-h recall should be avoided, and controls for at-home choices (which were not included in any of the studies reviewed) are necessary to evaluate this association.     

The role of psychological flexibility in the relationship between self-concealment and disordered eating symptoms

The present cross-sectional study investigated whether psychological flexibility mediates the association between self-concealment and disordered eating (DE) symptoms among non-clinical college students. Data of 209 male and female participants (nfemale =165), aged 18-22 years old, were used for analyses. Self-concealment was found to be positively associated with DE symptoms (i.e., general eating disorder symptoms and eating disorder-related cognitions) and negatively associated with psychological flexibility. Psychological flexibility was inversely associated with DE symptoms. Finally, psychological flexibility was found to mediate the association between self-concealment and DE symptoms after accounting for gender, ethnic background, and body mass index (BMI).     

Binge eating partially mediates the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and psychological distress in obese treatment seeking individuals

IntroductionWe compared the binge eating pathway linking body image dissatisfaction (BID) and psychological distress of obese adults entering and not entering psychological treatment for their weight problems.Method90 obese participants seeking an integrated treatment (OB-IT) and 87 obese participants seeking only medical treatment (OB-MT) for their weight problems completed questionnaires on BID, binge eating and psychological well-being.ResultsOnly in the OB-IT group, binge eating behaviors mediated the relationship between BID and psychological distress.ConclusionsBoth BID and binge eating behaviors need to be addressed in the psychological and medical treatment for obesity to enhance psychological well-being.     

The relationship between friendship factors and adolescent girls' body image concern, body dissatisfaction, and restrained eating

OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether poorer friendship relations predict weight concerns and dietary restraint in adolescent girls. METHOD: Questionnaires were administered to 131 Year 9 and Year 10 girls to assess the relationship between acceptance by friends, perceived social support, friendship intimacy, and perceived impact of thinness on male (PITOF-M) and female (PITOF-F) friendships on the one hand, and body image concern, body dissatisfaction, and restrained eating on the other. RESULTS: Friendship variables contributed significantly to the prediction of body image concern, body dissatisfaction, and restrained eating. The largest unique contribution to prediction was from the PITOF-M. Poor acceptance by friends significantly predicted the PITOF-M and PITOF-F. Whereas heavier girls were more likely to believe being thinner would improve their friendships, they did not experience poorer friendships. DISCUSSION: Results suggest sociocultural risk factors for disordered eating and underline the importance of perceived peer affiliation on girls' body image concern and dieting.     

Vegetarianism and eating disorders: association between eating attitudes and other psychological factors among Turkish adolescents

The purpose of this study was to determine whether differences exist in eating attitudes, self-esteem, social trait anxiety and social physique anxiety of self-reported vegetarian and nonvegetarian Turkish adolescents. The sample for the Turkish University' students is designed to provide the estimates of vegetarian indicators and prevalence. The participants were 608 females and 597 males, in total 1205 adolescents aged between 17 and 21 years. Disturbed eating behaviors (EAT-26> or =20) was found in 45.2% (14 of vegetarian) of the total vegetarian sample; which included two of the male vegetarians and 12 of the female vegetarians. The mean BMI was 19.78+/-1.49 kg/m(2) for female vegetarians and 20.78+/-2.46 kg/m(2) for female nonvegetarians (p<0.05). Male vegetarians had significantly higher score than male nonvegetarians on EAT-26 (17.25+/-11.18 for male vegetarians and 9.38+/-6.60 for male nonvegetarians), dieting (6.50+/-7.65 for male vegetarians and 2.55+/-3.87 for male nonvegetarians) and oral control (6.13+/-4.67 for male vegetarians and 3.20+/-3.19 for male nonvegetarians) scores (p<0.05). Besides, female vegetarians had significantly higher score than female nonvegetarians on EAT-26 (22.04+/-13.62 for female vegetarians and 11.38+/-8.28 for female nonvegetarians), dieting (10.35+/-9.58 for female vegetarians and 4.41+/-5.30 for female nonvegetarians), oral control (7.78+/-5.13 for female vegetarians and 3.33+/-3.51 for female nonvegetarians) and STAI (51.39+/-7.28 for female vegetarians and 47.29+/-5.13 for female nonvegetarians) scores (p<0.05). As a conclusion, the present study indicated abnormal eating attitudes, low self-esteem, high social physique anxiety, and high trait anxiety in Turkish vegetarian adolescents. The vegetarian adolescents may be more likely to display disordered eating attitudes and behaviors than nonvegetarians.     

Compulsive exercise: the role of personality, psychological morbidity, and disordered eating

Objective:

Compulsive exercise has been closely linked with eating disorders, and has been widely reported in both clinical and nonclinical settings. It has been shown to have a negative impact on eating disorder treatment and outcome. However, the risk factors for compulsive exercise have not been examined. This study aimed to provide a first step in identifying potential cross‐sectional predictors of compulsive exercise.

Method:

The sample consisted of 1,488 male and female adolescents, aged 12–14 years old, recruited from schools in the United Kingdom. Participants completed measures of compulsive exercise, personality, psychological morbidity, and disordered eating attitudes during a school class period.

Results:

Multiple stepwise regressions showed that the strongest cross‐sectional predictors of compulsive exercise were a drive for thinness, perfectionism, and obsessive‐compulsiveness.

Discussion:

These results are discussed in terms of the role that personal factors may play in the development of compulsive exercise. © 2011 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.