An Exploration of Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Association between Perfectionism and Disordered Eating in College Students

Perfectionism is a robust risk factor for eating disorders (EDs). Although individually-oriented dimensions of perfectionism are strongly related to eating pathology, less is known about the contribution of parent-oriented dimensions, specifically parental expectations (PE) and parental criticisms (PC). Further, few studies have investigated these effects within racially/ethnically diverse samples. However, PE and PC might be particularly relevant to eating pathology among certain cultural groups, such as those from collectivistic and interdependent societies. This study examined associations among PE, PC, and ED symptoms across racial/ethnic groups. Undergraduates (N=706; 74.8% Female; 48% White, 19.8% Black, 7.1% Latinx, 16% Asian, 9.1% multiracial) completed online surveys assessing perfectionism and ED symptoms. Multiple and logistic regressions examined the association between parent-oriented perfectionism, global eating pathology, loss-of-control (LOC) eating, purging behaviors, and ED risk status (EDE-Q global \u3c 4.0). Analyses were conducted by racial/ethnic group, controlling for gender. Both PE and PC were related to greater ED pathology in students identifying as White (pp=.03), Asian (p=.02), and multiracial (pp=.19). Higher PC was related to a greater likelihood of endorsing LOC eating in White (p=.004) and Black students (p=.05) and purging behaviors in White (p=.004), Asian (p=.04), and multiracial students (p=.03). Greater PC was also associated with ED risk in Asian (p=.03) and multiracial participants (p=.01). Findings indicate that the relations between specific aspects of parent-oriented perfectionism differ among cultural groups and are associated with ED symptoms in college students. PC seemed more relevant to ED pathology than did PE overall. Findings suggest that parent-oriented perfectionism, particularly PC, might be important to include in clinical assessment and treatment with students at-risk of EDs.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1039/thumbnail.jp

Environmental and Genetic Risk Factors for Eating Disorders: What the Clinician Needs to Know

Patients and families are often aware of research on genetic factors influencing eating disorders. Accurate interpretations of research on environmental and genetic risk factors can be empowering to patients and families; however, misinterpretations could prove detrimental. The clinician who is not versed in genetic research may feel ill-prepared to discuss the nuances of genetic research with patients and families. In this paper the authors discuss what is known about genetic and environmental risk factors with an emphasis on gene-environment interplay in order to increase clinicians’ comfort level with discussing these complex issues with their patients

Evaluation of parent-reported feeding practices in a racially diverse, treatment-seeking child overweight/obesity sample

This study examined psychometric properties and baseline/post-treatment racial differences in the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) in parents of overweight/obese children in a randomized controlled obesity trial. Participants were 302 (n=285 mothers, n=17 fathers) diverse (n=207 Black, n=80 White), treatment-seeking parents of children (5–11 years) with overweight/obesity. CFQ data fit an established factor structure (Anderson et al, 2005) in the full sample and subsample of Black parents. Black parents had higher scores than White parents on only Pressure to Eat. The CFQ yields reliable and valid scores in a racially diverse treatment-seeking sample, suggesting its utility in culturally-sensitive pediatric obesity treatment

Dietary intake in a randomized-controlled pilot of NOURISH: A parent intervention for overweight children

NOURISH is a community-based treatment program for parents of overweight and obese children (ages 6–11, BMI ≥ 85th percentile). This study examined the impact of NOURISH on child and parent dietary intake, secondary trial outcomes

Motivational interviewing with parents of overweight children: Study design and methods for the NOURISH+MI study

There is an urgent need for innovative approaches to pediatric obesity treatment. There is also a demand for targeted strategies that reduce attrition and improve treatment adherence. Intervening exclusively with parents of overweight children is a novel approach with demonstrated efficacy in reducing child body mass index (BMI) percentile. Motivational interviewing (MI), a brief communication style for exploring and resolving ambivalence about behavior change, might enhance treatment engagement when implemented as part of obesity interventions. The aim of this report is to provide the rationale and methods for a novel study of MI with parents in the treatment of their children’s overweight. We designed and are currently implementing NOURISH+MI, a randomized controlled trial examining the feasibility and efficacy of an adjunct values-based MI intervention, implemented within a culturally-tailored parent intervention for overweight children ages 5-11 years, NOURISH+ (Nourishing Our Understanding of Role modeling to Improve Support and Health). Specifically, we are randomly assigning 60 parents to this adjunctive treatment, and investigating if adding two MI sessions prior to the NOURISH+ group intervention will enhance treatment effects. We will be able to compare NOURISH+MI participants with those from the two NOURISH+ treatment conditions (NOURISH+ and control). We hypothesize that children whose parents participate in NOURISH+MI will demonstrate lower attrition and greater adherence with NOURISH+, ultimately leading to greater treatment effects, compared with children whose parents are randomized to NOURISH+ or a control group. Findings will contribute to the emerging literature examining the efficacy of MI within pediatric obesity interventions

Effects of reducing the frequency and duration criteria for binge eating on lifetime prevalence of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder: Implications for DSM-5

We assessed the impact of reducing the binge eating frequency and duration thresholds on the diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED)

Correlates of weight instability across the lifespan in a population-based sample

Research from overweight/obese clinical samples links weight instability to poor health. This study investigated whether negative health outcomes were associated with weight instability in a population-based sample

An Investigation of a Measure of Twins' Equal Environments

Abstract The equal environments assumption, which holds that trait-relevant environments are equally correlated among monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs, is essential to twin designs. Violations of this assumption could lead to biased parameter estimates in twin models. A variety of methods and measures have been used to test this assumption. No studies to date have evaluated the measurement invariance of such items or examined the distribution of the underlying equal environments trait. The current study was an investigation of the psychometric properties of a self-report measure of twins' equal environments. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that items loaded onto ‘child’ and ‘teen’ equal environments factors. Factor loadings and factor variances and their covariance were invariant for MZ and DZ twins; however, DZ twins had significantly lower factor means than MZ twins. Further, these items demonstrated adequate test–retest reliability. Lastly, the child and teen factors may be bimodally distributed, particularly for MZ twin pairs. Measurement invariance issues, as well as distributions of equal environments traits, should be considered when evaluating the equal environments assumption, in order to produce accurate parameter estimates in twin models

Development and preliminary effectiveness of an innovative treatment for binge eating in racially diverse adolescent girls

Binge and loss of control (LOC) eating are significant concerns among many adolescents and are associated with poor physical, social, and psychological functioning. Black girls appear to be particularly vulnerable to binge and LOC eating. Yet, empirically validated, culturally sensitive treatments for these disordered eating behaviors are not well established. This investigation examined satisfaction, feasibility, and preliminary outcomes of a binge eating intervention for ethnically diverse adolescent girls

An investigation of weight suppression in a population-based sample of female twins

Weight suppression (WS), maintaining a body weight below one’s maximum adult weight, is associated with bingeing, purging and weight gain in clinical samples