EARLY CHILDHOOD PEREFCTIONISM

To examine childhood perfectionism in anorexia nervosa (AN) restricting (RAN), purging (PAN), and binge eating with or without purging (BAN) subtypes

Predictors of attrition and weight loss in obese treatment-seeking males and females

An estimated 64.5% of the United States population is currently overweight, and 30.5% are obese. These individuals are at risk for numerous medical conditions, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, and type II diabetes. Behavioral treatment produces medically meaningful weight losses that are maintained, with continued treatment, for up to one year. Unfortunately, the mean rate of attrition from behavioral treatment is approximately 22% within six months of treatment. It would therefore be useful for clinicians to be able to identify patient characteristics that are associated with weight loss success. However, reliable predictors of attrition and weight loss have proven elusive to date. The proposed study investigated the ability of pre-treatment levels of self-efficacy, binge eating, depression, emotional eating, stress, hunger, disinhibition, and dietary restraint to predict attrition and weight loss in a sample of 179 males and females undergoing 40 weeks of group behavioral weight loss treatment. Cross-v alidation regression analyses revealed dietary restraint as a significant predictor of weight loss, in both derivation (n = 92) and confirmation (n = 87) samples. Analyses of the full sample revealed the consistent ability of restraint to predict both attrition and weight loss. Logistic regression analyses revealed that individuals who reported higher levels of restraint at baseline were 17% less likely to drop out of treatment. Those who were less depressed at pre-treatment were 11% less likely to drop out than those who were more depressed. We also discuss the potential utility of enhancing certain psychological variables (e.g., restraint, self-efficacy) during treatment in an effort to decrease attrition and increase weight loss in obese individuals.Ph.D., Clinical Psychology -- Drexel University, 200

A randomized trial examining differential meal replacement adherence in a weight loss maintenance program after one-year follow-up

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between patterns of meal replacement (MR) adherence and changes in outcomes during a behaviorally-oriented weight loss program. Data from the present study are based on sixty female participants (age: 29–62 years, BMI: 27.99–37.50 kg/m2). Participants were randomized into either a control or experimental condition, which tested the use of MRs during weight loss maintenance. Outcome measures included body weight, depression, physical activity, cognitive restraint, disinhibition, hunger, and binge eating collected at four assessment points. Within the experimental condition, we further examined adherence to MRs and its relationship with the outcome measures. We found evidence of differences at baseline on some measures (e.g., weight, physical activity and depression) while on others (cognitive restraint, disinhibition, and hunger), differences that emerged over the course of treatment. Further research is necessary to determine if there are measures associated with successful MR use that can be detected at baseline and if MR adherence itself leads to changes in eating behavior

Multiple types of dieting prospectively predict weight gain during the freshman year of college.

The freshman year of college is a period of heightened risk for weight gain. This study examined measures of restrained eating, disinhibition, and emotional eating as predictors of weight gain during the freshman year. Using Lowe\u27s multi-factorial model of dieting, it also examined three different types of dieting as predictors of weight gain. Sixty-nine females were assessed at three points during the school year. Weight gain during the freshman year averaged 2.1 kg. None of the traditional self-report measures of restraint, disinhibition, or emotional eating were predictive of weight gain. However, both a history of weight loss dieting and weight suppression (discrepancy between highest weight ever and current weight) predicted greater weight gain, and these effects appeared to be largely independent of one another. Individuals who said they were currently dieting to lose weight gained twice as much (5.0 kg) as former dieters (2.5 kg) and three times as much as never dieters (1.6 kg), but the import of this finding was unclear because there was only a small number of current dieters (N=7). Overall the results indicate that specific subtypes of dieting predicts weight gain during the freshman year better than more global measures of restraint or overeating.<br /

An examination of early childhood perfectionism across anorexia nervosa subtypes

OBJECTIVE: To examine childhood perfectionism in anorexia nervosa (AN) restricting (RAN), purging (PAN), and binge eating with or without purging (BAN) subtypes. METHOD: The EATATE, a retrospective assessment of childhood perfectionism, and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-2) were administered to 728 AN participants. RESULTS: EATATE responses revealed General Childhood Perfectionism, 22.3% of 333 with RAN, 29.2% of 220 with PAN, and 24.8% of 116 with BAN; School Work Perfectionism, 31.2% with RAN, 30.4% with PAN, and 24.8% with BAN; Childhood Order and Symmetry, 18.7% with RAN, 21.7% with PAN, and 17.8% with BAN; and Global Childhood Rigidity, 42.6% with RAN, 48.3% with PAN and 48.1% with BAN. Perfectionism preceded the onset of AN in all subtypes. Significant associations between EDI-2 Drive for Thinness and Body Dissatisfaction were present with four EATATE subscales. DISCUSSION: Global Childhood Rigidity was the predominate feature that preceded all AN subtypes. This may be a risk factor for AN