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OBJECTIVE: We examined affective and cognitive components of body image related to physical appearance, weight, and health among 120 university men and women of three racial/ethnic groups: African American, European American, and Latino/a American. METHOD: Participants completed a Background Information Sheet, the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ), the Body-Esteem Scale (BES) with additional items, and the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR). We tested for effects of race/ethnicity and gender on the body image measures while controlling for age, body size, social desirability, and socioeconomic status (SES). RESULTS: African Americans reported greatest body satisfaction and least overestimation of weight. Latino/a Americans were equal to or higher than European Americans on all indices. Gender differences occurred on global body image, weight concerns, fitness, and health. There were no Gender x Race/Ethnicity interactions. DISCUSSION: This pattern of racial/ethnic and gender differences shows a need for exploring a wider range of culturally relevant body image dimensions. Copyright 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To examine posttraumatic symptomatology among women with eating disorders. METHOD: A sample of 294 women diagnosed as having anorexia nervosa (n = 121), bulimia nervosa (n = 103), or eating disorder-not otherwise specified (n = 70) completed a version of the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Symptom Scale along with instruments measuring specific eating disorder symptomatology and comorbid psychopathology. RESULTS: Of the total sample, 154 (52%) reported current symptomatology consistent with PTSD. However, severity of PTSD symptomatology was unrelated to either type or eating disorder or severity of either anorexic or bulimic symptomatology. Severity of PTSD symptoms was significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and dissociative experiences. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that PTSD symptomatology is common and an important clinical variable among women with eating disorders, although apparently it is not directly related to the eating disorder per se. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A literature review by Holmes (1990) has been frequently cited as being evidence against the reality of recovered memories of child sexual abuse. In the current article, the specifics of Holmes' review and its implications for the recovered memory controversy are examined. Based on the focus of his review, the type of data that he examined, and the specifics of his conclusions, it is concluded that Holmes (1990) has clearly been cited out of context. His conclusions do not allow one to make inferences about the reality of amnesia for trauma or subsequent recovery of memories. Furthermore, a wealth of clinical and experimental data do support the existence of such phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Currently, we know little regarding how stigma attributed to eating disorders compares to that of other psychological disorders and additionally within different types of eating disorders. In the current study, we aimed to explore the stigmatisation of eating disorders by comparing the stigma attributed to anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder, utilising depression as a comparative control., Methods: A total of 235 participants from the general population were randomly assigned to an anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, or depression condition. Participants responded to a questionnaire consisting of several adapted versions of pre-existing subscales that measured levels of stigma associated with psychological disorders generally, as well as stigma associated with eating disorders specifically. We used several one-way analyses of variance to investigate the differences in stigma attributed towards the aforementioned psychological disorders., Results: Results suggested that all three eating disorders were significantly more stigmatised than was depression. Between the eating disorders, the three were generally equivalent except that binge-eating disorder was significantly more stigmatised than both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa on a subscale measuring trivialness., Conclusions: These findings indicate that individuals with eating disorders, including binge-eating disorder, may be at a higher risk of experiencing the negative implications of stigma when compared to other psychological disorders, such as depression. To our knowledge, this study is one of few that directly quantify and compare stigma attributed towards anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Through further research, a better understanding around the expression of stigma towards specific eating disorders could inform the development of targeted interventions to help reduce the stigma associated with these disorders. This knowledge could also advance the understanding of the lived experience of individuals living with eating disorders, subsequently informing treatment practices., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval was obtained from the University of South Australia Human Research Ethics Committee (protocol number 205469). Electronic informed consent was obtained from all participants. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Although many women experience body dissatisfaction, treatment options that prevent the onset of more serious conditions are limited in accessibility. As such, digital interventions may be an appropriate alternative resource to address restricted treatment options. This study provides statistical syntheses of the evidence for digital body image interventions for non-clinical adult women. A systematic literature search identified 19 studies (N = 2424) that tested the effect of a digital body image intervention compared to a control condition. Study results were synthesised using random effects models, and small to medium statistically significant effect sizes indicated that digital interventions were beneficial in increasing overall global satisfaction (g = 0.43) and reducing cognitive body dissatisfaction (g = 0.36). These meta-analytic findings provide evidence for the efficacy of digital body image interventions for non-clinical adult women. Intervention type was not found to be a statistically significant moderator, which may suggest that a range of intervention types can produce similar reductions in body dissatisfaction. Overall, digital body image interventions may be a feasible option to alleviate body dissatisfaction, particularly for women who may be unable to access conventional treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The aim of the current study was to explore how the social stigmatization of dissociative identity disorder (DID) compared to that of schizophrenia and depressive disorders. Using a between-subjects experimental design, a total of 139 participants (126 usable data [39 men, 84 women, 3 other]) from the general population were randomly assigned to either a DID, schizophrenia, or depressive disorders experimental condition and responded to an adapted version of the Prejudice Toward People With Mental Illness (PPMI) Scale. Results suggested that, overall, depressive disorders were stigmatized against the least, schizophrenia was stigmatized against the most, and DID was intermediate, with its PPMI score being closer to schizophrenia than that of depressive disorders. We also found the same pattern for most of the subscales of the PPMI. At least relative to other well-known disorders, there is negative stigma associated with having DID.

Research on body image commonly focuses on the negative aspects of the construct, and the majority of findings related to body image in general arise from quantitative methods of investigation. Furthermore, little is known about the experiences lesbian women go through as they come out, and what consequence this has on their body image. In this study we examined the experiences of 12 lesbian women and explored how coming out affected their body image. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Participants' ages ranged from 20 to 33 ( M  = 25). The analysis revealed that all participants reported experiencing improved body image after coming out. Other changes related to the presentation of sexual identity in terms of how they dressed, i.e., presenting as either more masculine or feminine. Most participants reported feeling that the sexual and gender minority community was more accepting of different body shapes and sizes compared to the heteronormative society in which they resided. Negative feelings and experiences related to family situations, and occasionally from within themselves. The results are important in understanding how gender and sexual orientation are intertwined to create a distinct experience of body image in lesbian women, and also to illustrate the heterogeneity of body image within subgroups of women.

Negative body image, or body image disturbance (BID) has been associated with depression, low self-esteem, and the development of eating disorders. Furthermore, BID may affect an individual regardless of gender or sexual orientation. To synthesise the current literature, we conducted a meta-analysis of 48 studies to determine if BID differed between lesbian versus heterosexual women, lesbian women versus gay men, and gay versus heterosexual men. Body image measures were grouped according to similarities in constructs measured, resulting in five different categories (global satisfaction, figural-rating scales, cognitive measures, affect measures, and male body image). The results indicated that lesbian women reported experiencing less BID compared to heterosexual women on measures of global satisfaction, but more compared to gay men, and gay men reported experiencing greater BID compared to heterosexual men on three out of five analyses. Moderation analyses indicated that the study quality was not a statistically significant moderator of the effect sizes. Results from this updated meta-analysis indicate that, to some degree, BIDs affect individuals regardless of gender and sexual orientation; however, there is some variability associated with sexual orientation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors report no declarations of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Enhanced cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT-E) has recently generated interest as a potentially useful treatment for eating disorders (ED). In the current study, we conducted a systematic review of the outcome literature on CBT-E, with both narrative and meta-analytic synthesis. We included single-group uncontrolled pre-post design studies and randomised control trials (RCTs) of CBT-E, which allowed us to include a larger number of studies, and also compare the two methodologies in terms of effect size. The primary analysis included 15 CBT-E studies with a total of 948 participants. Narrative synthesis examined bingeing and purging episodes, BMI change, and follow-up results. A large, statistically significant effect supported CBT-E as a treatment for all EDs ( g = 1.06). When comparing methodologies, both pre-post design studies ( g = 1.26) and RCTs ( g = 0.82) yielded large effects. Narrative synthesis outlined reductions in ED behaviours and increases in BMI which were maintained at follow-up. Limitations include that further RCTs of CBT-E are needed to establish clinical effectiveness of this treatment approach for all EDs; however, results from narrative exploration indicate this endeavour would be worthwhile. Despite the limitations, this study provides additional support for CBT-E as a successful treatment across the range of EDs.

Objective: Despite the multitude of research surrounding anorexia nervosa (AN) and perfectionism, there is yet to be a thorough investigation comparing perfectionism in those diagnosed with AN and other eating disorders, and other psychiatric diagnoses. The current meta-analysis aimed to explore these comparisons., Method: Following the Preferred Reporting Items or Systematic Reviews Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we identified empirical studies that compared maladaptive and/or adaptive perfectionism scores in those diagnosed with AN and either a non-clinical comparison group, people diagnosed with a non-AN ED, or people diagnosed with another psychological disorder (i.e., other DSM diagnoses). In total, we identified 23 studies, comprising 3,561 participants who were all female. Comparison groups extracted from the studies were a non-clinical group, bulimia nervosa (BN) diagnosis group, and another psychological diagnostic group., Results: When AN maladaptive perfectionism levels were compared against the comparison groups, the results showed that those diagnosed with AN were more perfectionistic compared to the non-clinical group (g = 1.00), and the other psychiatric diagnosis group (g = 0.41). People diagnosed with AN also had higher levels of adaptive perfectionism levels compared to the non-clinical group (g = 1.24). Comparisons between those diagnosed with AN and BN were statistically non-significant for maladaptive perfectionism., Discussion: Although publication bias potentially affected the psychological diagnosis group comparisons, findings suggest that maladaptive perfectionism is a factor associated with both AN and BN., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Although high body mass index (BMI) alone does not invariably lead to body dissatisfaction (BD) and BD alone does not invariably lead to eating pathology (EP), research has suggested that there are clear relationships between each predictor and its respective criterion. We have a limited understanding of the factors that explain why some women at higher risk for BD (because of their BMI) do not report being dissatisfied with their bodies and why some women who are highly dissatisfied, do not engage in pathological eating behaviors. The present study examined such factors. A university sample of New Zealand women ( N = 166) completed the Personality Assessment Inventory (Morey, 1991) and questionnaires measuring BD and EP. The tendency to report lower BD than would be predicted by one's BMI, and the tendency to report lower EP than would be expected based on one's BD, were characterized by lower overall distress (i.e., lower levels of anxiety and depression) and greater mood stability compared to those who followed the predicted outcome. Greater understanding of the factors that protect high-risk women from BD and EP may contribute to prevention and intervention strategies.

Background: Eating disorders (EDs) and their subclinical variants are important health concerns for adolescent girls, and body dissatisfaction is a more common yet often debilitating experience that typically precedes the development of an ED. Despite this fact, little is known about what makes girls who are dissatisfied with their bodies more likely to engage in pathological eating behaviors. The present study explored eating pathology among a sample of adolescent girls from New Zealand and examined a variety of established risk factors that may moderate the relationship between body dissatisfaction (BD) and eating pathology., Methods: Adolescent girls aged between 14 and 18 ( N  = 231) completed questionnaires assessing eating pathology, BD, negative affect, perfectionism, self-esteem, teasing and sociocultural pressure. Regression analyses tested for moderator effects to examine which variables moderated the relationship between BD and eating pathology., Results: The analyses indicated that high levels of socially prescribed and self-oriented perfectionism, negative affect, perceived pressure from the media, and low levels of self-esteem all strengthened the relationship between BD and eating pathology., Conclusions: The results highlight potential factors that may make adolescent girls who are dissatisfied with their bodies more susceptible to eating pathology., Competing Interests: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study and their parent/guardian. All study procedures were approved by the University of Canterbury Human Ethics Committee, Christchurch, New Zealand.Not applicable.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Objective: Previous research has indicated that greater exposure to traditional media (i.e. television, film, and print) predicted skin cancer risk factors in adolescents; however, the relationship between social media usage and these outcomes remains unexplored. We examined whether social networking site (SNS) usage, and the particular manner of this use, was associated with skin tone dissatisfaction, sun exposure and sun protection among Australian adolescents. We also explored sex differences in SNS usage related to tanning., Method: A total of 1856 South Australian secondary school students completed the Australian School Students Alcohol and Drug 2014 survey. SNS usage related to tanning comprised posting pictures, posting text, viewing pictures, viewing text and liking or sharing posts., Results: Adolescents spent 214.56 minutes, on average, per day using SNSs. Behaviours related to tanning that involved pictures (i.e. viewing pictures, posting pictures, and liking or sharing content) were significantly associated with more skin tone dissatisfaction, more sun exposure and less sun protection. Females performed all SNS-linked behaviours more frequently than did males, with the exception of posting text., Conclusion: Australian adolescents spend a considerable amount of time using SNSs, and their behaviours related to tanning on these SNSs are significantly associated with skin cancer risk factors.

Previous research has indicated that exposure to traditional media (i.e., television, film, and print) predicts the likelihood of internalization of a thin ideal; however, the relationship between exposure to internet-based social media on internalization of this ideal remains less understood. Social media differ from traditional forms of media by allowing users to create and upload their own content that is then subject to feedback from other users. This meta-analysis examined the association linking the use of social networking sites (SNSs) and the internalization of a thin ideal in females. Systematic searches were performed in the databases: PsychINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, Communication and Mass Media Complete, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Six studies were included in the meta-analysis that yielded 10 independent effect sizes and a total of 1,829 female participants ranging in age from 10 to 46 years. We found a positive association between extent of use of SNSs and extent of internalization of a thin ideal with a small to moderate effect size ( r = 0.18). The positive effect indicated that more use of SNSs was associated with significantly higher internalization of a thin ideal. A comparison was also made between study outcomes measuring broad use of SNSs and outcomes measuring SNS use solely as a function of specific appearance-related features (e.g., posting or viewing photographs). The use of appearance-related features had a stronger relationship with the internalization of a thin ideal than broad use of SNSs. The finding suggests that the ability to interact with appearance-related features online and be an active participant in media creation is associated with body image disturbance. Future research should aim to explore the way SNS users interact with the media posted online and the relationship linking the use of specific appearance features and body image disturbance.

The measurement of young women's self-reported dietary restraint status is complex. Compared to Herman and Polivy's commonly utilized Restraint Scale (RS), Stice's Dietary Intent Scale (DIS) is less understood. Because the DIS is becoming a popular research tool, it is important to understand how this scale compares to more traditional measures of restraint. We conducted two correlational studies (Study 1 N = 110; Study 2 N = 216) to ascertain the similarities and the differences between the DIS and - as a comparison measure - the well-researched RS. We explored how the two scales were related to several body image variables (e.g., thin-ideal internalization); with a range of self-regulatory variables (e.g., dispositional self-control); with observed food intake during a taste test; and with 18-month weight change (Study 2 only). Participants were female University students and were not selected for dieting or disordered eating. Unlike RS scores, DIS scores were not significantly correlated with the majority of variables tapping into unsuccessful self-regulation. However, our data also highlighted similarities between the two restraint scales (e.g., association with 18-month weight-loss) and demonstrated that not only were participants' DIS scores un-related to unsuccessful self-regulatory variables, neither were they related to the variables tapping into successful self-regulation.

Objective: The goal of this study was to create a Spanish version of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4) and examine its factorial validity, reliability, and convergent validity in a sample of women from Spain., Method: Two hundred and sixty female college students from Spain completed the Spanish version of the SATAQ-4 and measures for eating pathology., Results: Internal consistency was high; data from EFA and CFA supported the original five-factor structure; and results showed good convergent validity with measures of body-image and eating problems., Discussion: Results strongly support the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of SATAQ-4 and its use to examine perceived pressure for thinness from parents, peers and the media; and thin- and muscular/athletic-ideal internalization in Spanish-speaking adult women., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

We respond to Lynn et al.'s (2014) comments on our review (Dalenberg et al., 2012) demonstrating the superiority of the trauma model (TM) over the fantasy model (FM) in explaining the trauma-dissociation relationship. Lynn et al. conceded that our meta-analytic results support the TM hypothesis that trauma exposure is a causal risk factor for the development of dissociation. Although Lynn et al. suggested that our meta-analyses were selective, we respond that each omitted study failed to meet inclusion criteria; our meta-analyses thus reflect a balanced view of the predominant trauma-dissociation findings. In contrast, Lynn et al. were hypercritical of studies that supported the TM while ignoring methodological problems in studies presented as supportive of the FM. We clarify Lynn et al.'s misunderstandings of the TM and demonstrate consistent superiority in prediction of time course of dissociative symptoms, response to psychotherapy of dissociative patients, and pattern of relationships of trauma to dissociation. We defend our decision not to include studies using the Dissociative Experiences Scale-Comparison, a rarely used revision of the Dissociative Experiences Scale that shares less than 10% of the variance with the original scale. We highlight several areas of agreement: (a) Trauma plays a complex role in dissociation, involving indirect and direct paths; (b) dissociation-suggestibility relationships are small; and (c) controls and measurement issues should be addressed in future suggestibility and dissociation research. Considering the lack of evidence that dissociative individuals simply fantasize trauma, future researchers should examine more complex models of trauma and valid measures of dissociation.

Background: Although score reliability is a sample-dependent characteristic, researchers often only report reliability estimates from previous studies as justification for employing particular questionnaires in their research. The present study followed reliability generalization procedures to determine the mean score reliability of the Eating Disorder Inventory and its most commonly employed subscales (Drive for Thinness, Bulimia, and Body Dissatisfaction) and the Eating Attitudes Test as a way to better identify those characteristics that might impact score reliability., Methods: Published studies that used these measures were coded based on their reporting of reliability information and additional study characteristics that might influence score reliability., Results: Score reliability estimates were included in 26.15% of studies using the EDI and 36.28% of studies using the EAT. Mean Cronbach's alphas for the EDI (total score = .91; subscales = .75 to .89), EAT-40 (total score = .81) and EAT-26 (total score = .86; subscales = .56 to .80) suggested variability in estimated internal consistency. Whereas some EDI subscales exhibited higher score reliability in clinical eating disorder samples than in nonclinical samples, other subscales did not exhibit these differences. Score reliability information for the EAT was primarily reported for nonclinical samples, making it difficult to characterize the effect of type of sample on these measures. However, there was a tendency for mean score reliability to be higher in the adult (vs. adolescent) samples and in female (vs. male) samples., Conclusions: Overall, this study highlights the importance of assessing and reporting internal consistency during every test administration because reliability is affected by characteristics of the participants being examined.

Although viewing media body ideals promotes body dissatisfaction and problematic eating among women (e.g., extreme restraint/overeating), some argue that women only report such negative effects because they think that they are meant to (i.e., demand characteristics). Because restrained eaters are trying to lose weight, they might be vulnerable to such media exposure. However, because of demand characteristics, evidence is mixed. Therefore, we minimized demand characteristics and explored whether media body ideals would trigger restrained eaters to report negative (negative mood, weight dissatisfaction) or positive (positive mood, weight satisfaction) effects. We also hypothesized that this change (negative or positive) would encourage food intake. Restrained and unrestrained eaters (n=107) memorized media or control images. Restrained eaters exposed to media images reported decreased weight satisfaction and increased negative mood, but their food intake was not significantly affected. Perhaps paying advertent attention to the images caused goal-related negative affect, which triggered restraint., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We examined the relative contribution of different forms of eating disorder (ED) pathology to impairment in mental and physical health-related quality of life (QOL) in women with a wide range of ED symptoms. Female participants from an outpatient ED clinic (n = 53) and the local community (n = 214) completed measures of ED features and mental and physical health-related QOL. Across the sample, ED features were significantly associated with most mental and physical domains of QOL. In multiple regression analyses controlling for age and body mass index, ED features significantly predicted impairment in mental and physical QOL. Extreme shape and weight concern significantly and independently predicted most QOL subscales (β range = 0.19-0.44). The prominent contribution of shape and weight concern to both mental and physical QOL impairment underlines the importance of addressing body dissatisfaction in the treatment and prevention of EDs.

Background: This study evaluated the score reliability and equivalence of factor structure of the Sociocultural Attitudes towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3) [1] in a sample of female college students from the four largest ethnic groups in the USA., Methods: Participants were 1245 women who self-identified as European American/White (n = 543), African American/Black (n = 137), Asian American (n = 317), or Latina/Hispanic (n = 248). All completed the SATAQ-3 and a demographic questionnaire. To test the factor similarity and score reliability across groups, we used exploratory factor analysis and calculated Cronbach's alphas (respectively)., Results: Score reliability was high for all groups. Tests of factor equivalence suggested that the four pre-established factors of the SATAQ-3 (i.e., knowledge, perceived pressure, thin-ideal internalization, athletic-ideal internalization) were similar for women of all ethnic groups. Only two items (20 and 27) did not consistently load on the previously identified scale across all four groups. When scored, African Americans reported significantly less perceived pressure and internalization than all other groups., Conclusions: Results support the use of the SATAQ-3 in female college students of these four ethnicities.

Objective: The goal of this study was to translate the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3; Thompson, van den Berg, Roehrig, Guarda, & Heinberg, 2004) into Spanish and psychometrically evaluate the comparability of the Spanish translation to the original English version., Method: 638 female college students from Spain and the United States completed the SATAQ-3 in Spanish and English, respectively., Results: Internal consistency was high in both languages. Tests of factor equivalence suggested that the four pre-established factors of the SATAQ-3 (i.e., knowledge, perceived pressure, thin-ideal internalization, athletic-ideal internalization) were relatively similar between the two groups. Differences that emerged between groups (on items 6 and 20) were in the expected direction and appeared to be influenced by reverse-scoring or item wording., Conclusions: Results support the psychometric properties of this Spanish translation of the SATAQ-3 and support its use to measure endorsement of Western values and ideals of appearance in adult women., (2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc)

Body checking and body avoidance have demonstrated clinical significance in a number of populations. However, the associations between these behaviors and mental and physical health-related quality of life have not been examined. This study investigated the associations between body checking and avoidance and quality of life in 214 community women. Body checking and body avoidance were significantly correlated with mental and physical quality of life, as well as with eating disturbances. Frequency of body checking significantly predicted impairment in mental quality of life, and frequency of body avoidance significantly predicted impairment in physical quality of life, over and above the contributions of depressive symptoms and related demographic characteristics. Targeting checking and avoidance in prevention and treatment programs may improve quality of life and reduce health-related functional impairment., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The relationship between a reported history of trauma and dissociative symptoms has been explained in 2 conflicting ways. Pathological dissociation has been conceptualized as a response to antecedent traumatic stress and/or severe psychological adversity. Others have proposed that dissociation makes individuals prone to fantasy, thereby engendering confabulated memories of trauma. We examine data related to a series of 8 contrasting predictions based on the trauma model and the fantasy model of dissociation. In keeping with the trauma model, the relationship between trauma and dissociation was consistent and moderate in strength, and remained significant when objective measures of trauma were used. Dissociation was temporally related to trauma and trauma treatment, and was predictive of trauma history when fantasy proneness was controlled. Dissociation was not reliably associated with suggestibility, nor was there evidence for the fantasy model prediction of greater inaccuracy of recovered memory. Instead, dissociation was positively related to a history of trauma memory recovery and negatively related to the more general measures of narrative cohesion. Research also supports the trauma theory of dissociation as a regulatory response to fear or other extreme emotion with measurable biological correlates. We conclude, on the basis of evidence related to these 8 predictions, that there is strong empirical support for the hypothesis that trauma causes dissociation, and that dissociation remains related to trauma history when fantasy proneness is controlled. We find little support for the hypothesis that the dissociation-trauma relationship is due to fantasy proneness or confabulated memories of trauma., (2012 APA, all rights reserved)

Purpose: Recent research has begun investigating the impact of eating disorders on health-related quality of life (QOL). The present study examined the impact of eating disorder psychopathology on QOL within a community sample., Methods: Two hundred and fourteen women completed questionnaires assessing eating disorder symptoms, body dissatisfaction, body checking and body avoidance behaviors, and general psychopathology., Results: Eating disturbance and body image dissatisfaction were associated with poorer QOL. In addition, eating disorder psychopathology uniquely predicted QOL above and beyond the variance accounted for by general psychopathology. Both subjective bulimic episodes and objective bulimic episodes were associated with impairments in QOL., Conclusions: These results indicate that eating disorder psychopathology may adversely affect the lives of women within the community. Early intervention and detection could reduce the negative impact of eating disorder psychopathology on women's lives and protect individuals with mild eating disorder symptoms from a further reduction in QOL.

The link between negative affect and binge eating in those with binge eating disorder (BED) has been well established. The present study examined the efficacy of a treatment for BED designed to increase recognition and regulation of negative emotion, replicating and extending a previous investigation (Clyne, C., & Blampied, N.M. [2004]. Training in emotion regulation as a treatment for binge eating: A preliminary study. Behaviour Change, 21, 269-281) by including a control group, a larger number of participants, and formal diagnoses rather than classifying binge eating symptomatology from self-report questionnaires. Twenty-three women diagnosed with subthreshold or full syndrome BED (using the Eating Disorders Examination) participated in a treatment program that focused on increasing emotional regulation skills. Each participant completed the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire, the Binge Eating Scale, the Emotional Eating Scale, and completed self-monitoring records of binge episodes. Binge abstinence rates following treatment (post-treatment and 1 year follow-up were 78% and 87% respectively) were comparable to other empirically supported treatments for BED. Other positive changes in eating and general pathology were observed. These effects were well-maintained up to 1 year later.

White American cultural values of appearance are implicated in the development of body dissatisfaction. This study examined whether the relationships between awareness of White American appearance ideals, internalization of such ideals, and body dissatisfaction are moderated by behavioral acculturation and attitudinal marginalization in a sample of 94 Mexican American women. Results indicated that behavioral acculturation moderated the relationship between awareness and internalization and cognitive marginalization moderated the relationship between internalization and body dissatisfaction. Body size was positively correlated with body dissatisfaction and negatively correlated with behavioral acculturation. These findings have important implications for clinical practice and research with Mexican American women.

Objective: We evaluated the psychometric properties and measurement equivalence of various forms of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) (Cooper et al., Int J Eat Disord, 6, 485-494, 1987) in American and Spanish women with and without an eating disorder diagnosis., Method: Participants included four groups of women: Euro-American (n = 505), Hispanic-American (n = 151), and Spanish (n = 445) females without an eating disorder and Spanish women being treated for an eating disorder (n = 177)., Results: Single and multigroup confirmatory factor analyses using maximum likelihood estimation with robust standard errors tested the data for configural and metric invariance. Goodness-of-fit statistics indicated that the original and all alternate forms of the BSQ fit the data well across groups. Most factor loadings were similar across groups. We also developed a 10-item version that appeared to be invariant across groups., Conclusion: Results strongly support configural invariance and offer some support for metric invariance., (Copyright 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a Spanish version of the Bulimia Test-Revised (BULIT-R). The goal was to test the factor-structure equivalence of the BULIT-R across two samples of college students from two different cultures, Spain and the US. Researchers using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) have reported different model solutions for the factor-structure of the BULIT-R: a one-factor model, a four-factor model, a five-factor model and a six-factor model. For the two samples, CFA did not support any of the models previously reported in the literature. EFA supported a six- and a four-factor models for the US and Spanish samples, respectively., (2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association)

English and Spanish versions of the FCQ-T [Cepeda-Benito, A., Gleaves, D. H., Williams, T. L., & Erath, S. A. (2000). The development and validation of the state and trait food-cravings questionnaires. Behavior Therapy, 31, 151-173] were adapted to create the food chocolate-craving questionnaire trait (FCCQ-T). Female college students from England (N=293), and Spain (N=373) completed the FCCQ-T. Good and similar measurement fits for the English and Spanish versions were found. In concordance with the higher consumption of chocolate in Britain, British women reported greater chocolate cravings than Spanish women. Overall, the FCCQ-T appears a well-suited instrument to investigate chocolate cravings in English- and Spanish-speaking populations.

Eating disorder prevention programs have yielded mixed results and are somewhat controversial, primarily because of claims they may produce iatrogenic effects. We used meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of eating disorder prevention programs and investigate moderators of intervention effects. Overall, prevention programs had large effects on improving knowledge and small net effects on reducing maladaptive eating attitudes and behaviors. Studies targeting participants at a relatively higher risk for developing an eating disorder produced greater benefits. Concerns about iatrogenic effects of including psychoeducational material on eating disorders were not supported by the data. These findings challenge conclusions drawn in previous review articles regarding the ineffectiveness of prevention programs and support the ability of eating disorder prevention programs to demonstrate behavioral improvements.

Objective: We examined the potential for ethnicity to moderate the relationships between awareness and internalization of sociocultural ideals of appearance and between internalization and body dissatisfaction., Method: Spanish (n = 100), Mexican American (n = 100), and European American (n = 100) female participants completed measures of sociocultural attitudes and body dissatisfaction. Path analysis using maximum likelihood with robust standard errors tested the relationships across and within ethnic groups., Results: There was evidence for the mediational effect of internalization on the relationship between awareness and body dissatisfaction. Furthermore, both relationships were significantly stronger for European American women than for Mexican American or Spanish women (the predicted moderator effect)., Discussion: Results demonstrate how ethnicity may protect against the development of eating disorder symptoms and suggest that eating disorder prevention should involve denouncing the thin ideal, minimizing appearance as an indicator of value, and emphasizing traits other than appearance as determinants of worth., (2005 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

We examined the degree to which self-deceptive enhancement and/or family environment moderated the relationship between awareness and internalization of sociocultural appearance standards. We administered the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire, the Family Environment Scale, the Family History of Eating questionnaire, and the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding to female undergraduate students (N = 232) and tested our predictions with moderator regression. Self-deceptive enhancement appeared to moderate the relationship between awareness and internalization. Family history of weight and appearance preoccupation also marginally moderated the relationship whereas general family environment did not. High levels of self-deceptive enhancement may serve as a protective factor against internalization of sociocultural pressures. High levels of family preoccupation with weight and appearance may have the opposite effect, making women more vulnerable to internalization.

Objective: Eating disorders have been conceptualized as discrete syndromes or categories and as dimensions that differ in degree among individuals. Until recently, researchers have not directly addressed which of these models, categorical versus dimensional, is most valid., Methods: The primary objective of this review was to examine the evidence related to the validity of dimensional versus categorical models of eating disorders., Results: Findings from a series of taxometric studies have suggested that a conceptual representation of eating disorders may involve a latent taxon, related to binge eating (and possibly purging), and one or more dimensions. These studies found that binge eating was identified as a factor that does not occur on a continuum with anorexia nervosa, restricting subtype. Restricting subtype anorexia is continuous with normalcy, however., Discussion: These findings should be viewed as preliminary evidence that may have implications for the etiology, assessment, prevention, and treatment of eating disorders., (2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Are the eating disorders discrete diagnostic entities or do they fall along one or more continua ranging from normal body weight, eating behavior, and weight concerns to severely disturbed patterns? Researchers have debated this question for at least 30 years and have used numerous creative strategies to examine this and related questions. This body of research is reviewed with particular attention to the more recent use of taxometric methods. Although somewhat mixed, much of the earlier research has been interpreted as supporting the continuity model. However, more recent taxometric research suggests the presence of one or more latent discontinuities, particularly with disorders associated with binge eating. These findings have implications for assessment, treatment, and possible prevention of eating disorders, and may ultimately allow us to better predict who will or will not develop an eating disorder in response to dieting, as well as who will or will not respond to particular treatments for an existing eating disorder.

This study evaluated the factor structure of the Questionnaire of Smoking Urges (QSU) across American and Spanish smokers. Using confirmatory factor analyses, the fits of one-, two-, and four-factor models of smoking craving in American and Spanish data sets were compared. The two-factor model provided the best fit in both samples. However, negatively worded items confounded the interpretation of the two-factor structure in both the American and Spanish data. The first factor had positively and negatively worded items, whereas the second had only positively worded items. The two-factor structure was reexamined, removing either the positively or the negatively worded items. Using only positively worded items resulted in a loss of fit, whereas using only negatively worded items improved model fit substantially. Thus, the results supported the generalization of smoking craving across Spanish and American smokers and suggested that negatively worded items play a larger role in the two-factor structure of the QSU than originally thought.

We examined the use of figural rating scales to measure body dissatisfaction and the ideal body standards of women. We also attended to the potential influence of demand characteristics in body assessment research using these measures, a methodological concern largely ignored in this field. We used both within- and between-subjects designs to assess whether women hold different body standards for themselves compared to their same sex peers and whether their own ideal body size (IBS) is different from what they think men prefer. Regardless of the method of data collection (within or between design), we failed to find any differences on separate items of body image ideals. The findings do provide evidence of robust and large effects for the current-ideal discrepancy as measured by figural rating scales, but argue against including multiple questions about ideal body preferences on these types of scales. Concerns about the influence of demand characteristics were not supported by the data.

Objective: The latent structure of eating disorder symptoms, as defined by DSM-IV, was tested in a group of 341 women with and without an eating disorder diagnosis., Method: The study group consisted of 201 participants with a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, or eating disorder not otherwise specified; 24 comparison subjects who were obese but did not have an eating disorder diagnosis; and 116 normal-weight comparison subjects. The presence and severity of DSM-IV eating disorder symptoms was assessed with the semi-structured Interview for the Diagnosis of Eating Disorders-IV. The study group was randomly divided into two subgroups for factor analytic studies, and the data were subjected to exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Pilot taxometric analyses were used to examine whether the obtained factors represented true dimensions or latent discrete classes., Results: In exploratory factor analyses with data from subgroup 1, three factors were found to account for 66% of the variance in eating disorder symptoms: binge eating, fear of fatness/compensatory behaviors, and drive for extreme thinness. Confirmatory factor analysis cross-validated this factor structure with data from subgroup 2. The eating disorder groups and comparison groups were found to differ on at least one of the three factors. The results of the taxometric analyses were inconsistent with a strictly dimensional model of eating disorders and suggested that some features may be dimensional whereas others may be taxonic (discrete)., Discussion: The eating disorders, as defined by DSM-IV, can be conceptualized as having three latent features. Taxometric tests found empirical support for conceptualizing bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder as discrete syndromes.

A Esterson (2002) responded to the authors' analysis of recent reformulations of Freud's seduction theory and alleged sexual abuse discoveries. Esterson gave several additional examples of the same type of problematic writing the authors discussed in their original article. His commentary is largely a repetition of several already-published arguments, and his numerous criticisms of the article are, in the authors' opinion, without merit. The authors address confusion over inferring abuse from symptoms, treatment of symptoms versus resolution of cases, and fathers as perpetrators of abuse. It is clear that, as long as the topic of child sexual abuse elicits heated debate, so will Freud's seduction theory, but there may be times when one needs to step back to allow a debate to move forward.

B. Rind, P. Tromovitch, and R. Bauserman (1998) examined the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) by meta-analyzing studies of college students. The authors reported that effects "were neither pervasive nor typically intense" and that "men reacted much less negatively than women" (p. 22) and recommended value-neutral reconceptualization of the CSA construct. The current analysis revealed numerous problems in that study that minimized CSA-adjustment relations, including use of a healthy sample, an inclusive definition of CSA, failure to correct for statistical attenuation, and misreporting of original data. Rind et al.'s study's main conclusions were not supported by the original data. As such, attempts to use their study to argue that an individual has not been harmed by sexual abuse constitute a serious misapplication of its findings.

Increased interest in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) has generated a wealth of recent research. This paper reviews the current literature regarding conceptualizations of the disorder, the development of assessment tools, and treatment outcome. Although BDD has been viewed as a variant of an eating disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, or a somatoform disorder, it appears best conceptualized as a body image disorder with social, psychological, and possibly biological influences. Assessment instruments with acceptable psychometric properies have been developed to specifically assess BDD (e.g., the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Examination and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder). Examination and the initial results from uncontrolled and controlled treatment research suggest that cognitive behavioral treatments for BDD may be as effective as those for possibly related disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder and bulimia nervosa.

We review the empirical evidence for the validity of the Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) diagnosis, the vast majority of which has come from research conducted within the last 10 years. After reviewing three different guidelines to establish diagnostic validity, we conclude that considerable converging evidence supports the inclusion of DID in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders. For instance, DID appears to meet all of the guidelines for inclusion and none of the exclusion guidelines; proposed by Blashfield et al. [Comprehensive Psychiatry 31 (1990) 15-19], and it is one of the few disorders currently supported by taxometric research. However, we also discuss possible problems with the current diagnostic criteria and offer recommendations, based on recent research, for possible revisions to these criteria.

Numerous prospective and cross-sectional studies of the relation between low-level lead exposure and cognitive functioning in children have suggested that intellectual and academic performance declines as lead burdens increase. Kaufman [Arch. Clin. Neuropsychol. (2001)] raises questions regarding interpretive issues along these lines, and therein challenges the wisdom of using the available lead/IQ data complex as an essential element of the decision-making process that leads to policy statements. In this article, we address some of the concerns expressed by Kaufman, and conclude that each of his five points are logically or statistically flawed, as is his overall strategy of critiquing individual studies after methodologically sound meta-analyses have been performed. Kaufman is perhaps correct that the findings from correlational research on low lead levels and IQ loss should be interpreted with caution, but the caution extends equally if not more greatly in the direction of previous research having underestimated the relationship between the two variables in question.

The Body Image Assessment (BIA) is a simple measure of body image disturbance. However, it has currently only been used with an individual administration format and only to assess ratings of current body size, ideal body size, and body dissatisfaction. It has also only been validated for use with women. In the current two studies, the reliability and validity of a group-administered version of the BIA procedure for both men and women that also assessed ratings of the ideal opposite sex and predictions about what the opposite sex would prefer as most attractive was examined. In the first study, results indicated good test-retest reliability for the group version for current and ideal body size and good concurrent validity with the individual administration format of the BIA. The results of the second study supported the construct and predictive validity of the group administered BIA, suggesting that it is a time-efficient alternative to the original, individually administered assessment.

To study cross-cultural differences in various aspects of body image, we examined body size ratings of self, ideal, and ideal opposite sex, and predictions regarding the opposite sex, for men and women in two different cultures, one in which there is a high incidence of eating disorders (the United States) and one in which there is believed to be a lower incidence (Spain). Participants were 240 college students from universities in Spain or the southwest United States. A group-format version of the Body Image Assessment with both female and male silhouettes was administered to all participants. Women's ratings of current and ideal body sizes were very similar across countries, although there was a tendency for American women to be more dissatisfied with their body size. Greater differences were found for men in that, on average, American men wanted to be larger and Spanish men wanted to be smaller. Across countries, men's ratings of their ideal body size were consistent with what they predicted that women found attractive whereas women in both countries wanted to be thinner than what they predicted that men found attractive.