Evaluating the Pilot Implementation of a Culturally Responsive Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Intervention for Binge Eating Behaviors Among Adolescents

Evaluating the Pilot Implementation of a Culturally Responsive Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Intervention for Binge Eating Behaviors Among Adolescent

Adolescent Engagement in a Binge-Eating Behavioral Health Intervention: Influence of Perceptions of Physical Appearance and Locus of Control

Traditional weight management approaches focused solely on weight loss as a measure of success may lead youth to internalize negative beliefs about their appearance, and feel they have little control over their health. We examined how perceptions of appearance and health-related locus of control (HRLOC) influenced engagement and outcomes in a behavioral health intervention for binge eating. Thirty adolescents aged 14–18 years completed measures of self-perception, HRLOC, and eating behaviors. Half (n = 15) completed baseline assessments only, while the other half participated in a 10-week intervention targeting dysregulated eating behaviors. Analyses revealed negative perceptions of physical appearance and internal HRLOC were higher at baseline among youth who completed the intervention compared to those who completed baseline assessments only. Among those completing the intervention, however, greater internal HRLOC and more positive perception of physical appearance at baseline was associated with greater reduction in objective binge episodes and emotional eating post-intervention. Findings of the present study suggest that while having a more negative perception of one’s appearance may initially motivate youth to participate in weight-related interventions, such perceptions can actually lead to poorer health outcomes, and further supports the extant literature on the benefits of interventions that engender positive body image

External Factors Associated with Community Cohesion in Women Living with HIV

Although community cohesion has been identified as a protective factor associated with positive health outcomes, less is known about factors that increase community cohesion for women living with HIV (WLWH). We examined risk/protective factors associated with community cohesion in WLWH (N 5 56) in the US Mid-South (Mage 5 41.2 years, SD 5 9.01). Participants completed hour-long interviews. Hierarchical linear regression modeling was used to examine factors associated with community cohesion. The final model was significant, F(5, 50) 5 6.42, p, .001, adj. R2 5 33%; greater social support (b 5 .38, p, .01) and resilience (b 5 .27, p, .05) were significantly associated with better community cohesion. Given the protective benefits of community connectedness, findings suggest that nurses and community providers work with WLWH to harness friend- and family-support networks. In addition, strategies to enhance access to resilience resources would enable WLWH to recover from adversity

Disentangling the Longitudinal Relations of Race, Sex, and Socioeconomic Status, for Childhood Body Mass Index Trajectories

Race, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with childhood obesity. The present research longitudinally examines these factors with 12,674 White and Black children from kindergarten through 8th grade. Methods Body mass index (BMI) data were collected and standardized at six time points (zBMI). Using Latent Growth Curve Modeling, race and sex were evaluated as moderators for the relation between SES and initial zBMI and rate of zBMI change. Results Higher SES significantly predicted higher initial zBMI for Black males and lower initial zBMI and rate of change for White males. A nonlinear relation between SES and zBMI was found for White females. Conclusions SES has a differential impact on adiposity for different demographic groups. The longitudinal nature of the study and the focus on younger school-aged children provide important information regarding the complex interplay of race, sex, and SES for the prediction of childhood adiposity

Resilience as a moderator between syndemics and depression in mothers living with HIV

Physical and emotional adversities in mothers have rippling effects across the family system. While an association between individual maternal adversities and problematic mental health outcomes has been established, less is known about co-existing adversities in mothers. Consistent with the syndemic conceptual framework, we examined the co-occurrence of Substance Abuse, Violence, and AIDS/HIV (i.e., SAVA), which are three adversities that uniquely affect racial/ethnic minorities, individuals living in poverty, and people in urban communities. We assessed the relationship between SAVA adversities and depressive symptoms among mothers living with HIV, as well as the moderating effect of resilience on this relationship. Participants included 55 mothers (Mage= 41.24, SD = 9.01; 81% Black) living with HIV in the U.S. MidSouth. Mothers were recruited from community agencies serving individuals living with HIV and completed hour-long interviews about SAVA, depression, resilience, life stressors, and their child’s mental health. Analyses were conducted in PROCESS for SPSS to test the relationship between SAVA and depression, as moderated by resilience. Analyses controlled for the influence of child maladaptive functioning (given known associations with maternal mental health) and maternal life stressors (given established associations with depressive symptoms). Findings indicated that experiencing more than one SAVA variable was associated with greater depressive symptoms (p \u3c.05). Higher resilience was associated with lower depressive symptoms (r = −.45; p \u3c.01). Moderation was supported (β = −.80; p \u3c.01) as the relationship between more SAVA epidemics and higher depressive symptoms was stronger when resilience was low and weaker when resilience was high. Results not only highlight how co-occurring adversities exacerbate depressive symptoms, but also underscore the role of resilience as a key protective factor among mothers living with HIV. Resilience could therefore be a target of strengths-based treatment to reduce the negative effects of SAVA on depressive symptoms among mothers

Differentiating Peer and Friend Social Information-Processing Effects on Stress and Glycemic Control Among Youth With Type 1 Diabetes

Objective: Many adolescents with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) find adherence difficult in social situations because they fear negative evaluations by others. These negative reaction attributions are associated with anticipated adherence difficulties, stress, and glycemic control. It is unclear whether peer versus friend attributions are distinct constructs, or whether there is a differential impact on glycemic control moderated by youth characteristics. Method: Youth with T1D (n = 142; 58% female; 84% Caucasian, mean = 13.79 years, standard deviation = 2.10) completed the Peer Attribution and Diabetes Stress Questionnaires. HbA1cs were obtained from medical records. Results: Negative peer versus friend attributions appear distinct and were differentially related to anticipated adherence difficulties, stress, and glycemic control, with peer attributions having the strongest effect. Grade, age, and sex were not moderators for these relationships. Conclusion: Peer-related attributions may be a particularly salient target for interventions to improve adherence and distress among youth with T1D

Relations between Baseline and Nonlinear Longitudinal Changes in Children\u27s Body Mass Index and Internalizing Symptoms

Objective To determine whether initial body mass index for age (zBMI) and internalizing symptoms predict longitudinal changes in zBMI and internalizing symptoms-and the extent to which sex and race moderate these relations. Methods Participants included 12,674 (51% male) youth from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class 1998-1999. Data were collected in kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades. Teacher-reported internalizing symptoms were measured with the Social Rating Scale. Results Internalizing symptoms followed a quadratic growth trajectory, with initial low levels of symptoms that gradually increased over time and eventually leveled. zBMI followed a piecewise growth trajectory, with a transition in slope at 1st grade. Interactions emerged between zBMI and internalizing symptoms for White males. Conclusions Associations between internalizing symptoms and BMI begin in early childhood for White males, and changes in zBMI are a function of the interactive effect of initial levels of internalizing difficulties and adiposity status

Empirically derived parental feeding styles for young children and their relations to weight, mealtime behaviors, and childhood behavior problems

This study sought to establish empirically derived parental feeding styles based on their mealtime behaviors and strategies and determine how these styles relate to childrens weight, mealtime behaviors, and other childhood problems. Parents (N = 378) of children ages 2-6 completed questionnaires and reported childrens height and weight. Three feeding styles emerged via latent profile analyses: internal regulation (IR), external control (EC), and laissez faire regulation (LFR). BMI scores were highest in the EC profile, and LFR parents reported the most mealtime difficulties. These empirically derived feeding styles are associated with specific mealtime behaviors/characteristics and both high and low weight extremes

A Cross-Sectional Examination of Intimate Partner Violence and Mother-Child Communication

Objective: Parent-child communication about substance abuse, violence, and HIV/AIDS (i.e., SAVA) may protect against intergenerational risks, as open communication can enhance children’s resilience to combat adversities. We used moderation analyses to identify variables that affect mothers’ comfort with communicating with their children about SAVA. Methods: Participants (Mage = 34.62 years; SD = 7.95) were mothers of youth between the ages of 6 and 14 who endorsed experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) within the last six months. Mothers reported on their experiences with IPV victimization (Revised Conflict Tactics Scale) and perpetration (History of Violence Perpetration Measure), and their comfort communicating with their children about SAVA (Parent-Child Communication about SAVA Scale). Results: More severe IPV was associated with less comfort communicating (β = −003; p \u3c 0.01). In addition, more frequent IPV perpetration was associated with less comfort communicating (β = −2.46; p \u3c 0.01). Moderation was supported, such that the association between experiencing IPV and comfort with communication varied by experiences with IPV perpetration (β = 0.01; p \u3c 0.01). Child’s age was a significant moderator of the relationship between bidirectional intimate partner violence (i.e., experiencing both victimization and perpetration), and comfort with communicating (β = −0.0004; p \u3c 0.01). Conclusions: Findings highlight the negative consequences of bidirectional violence, such that mothers who are both victims and perpetrators of violence were less willing to communicate with their children. Given the crucial role of communication in promoting resilience, this lack of communication may place children on a problematic health trajectory