Dyadic Processes in Weight Management

The physical and social environment can shape weight-related behaviors. Thus, understanding weight-loss maintenance in context could provide insight regarding ways in which the home environment might be structured to facilitate long-term weight-loss maintenance. This study examined the effects of household structure (perceived household chaos, stressors, and mealtime structure) and partner support (chore inputs and perceptions of fairness) on weight-loss maintenance in couples following a randomized weight-loss intervention. Psychological mediators were also explored (eating self-efficacy, exercise self-efficacy, locus of control, and perceived stress). Couples (N = 43) were weighed and completed study measures at 12 and 18 months after baseline. Dyadic structural equation models revealed significant effects of the environment and partner inputs on mediators and weight-loss maintenance. Broadly, a lack of environmental structure predicted lower eating and exercise self-efficacy, lower locus of control, and higher stress; chaos and stressors, however, predicted lower BMI at 18 months. Discrepant chore inputs also tended to predict lower BMI at 18 months, higher locus of control, and lower stress. Eating self-efficacy and locus of control predicted successful weight-loss maintenance. A structured environment tended to predict more positive outcomes on psychological mediators, which predicted weight-loss maintenance (in contrast to unexpected weight-loss maintenance benefits found for chaos and stressors). The fact that discrepant inputs in household chores tended to predict better outcomes at 18 months may reflect patterns of labor division that allow increased focus on meal preparation or exercise. Targeting environmental structure and social forces might improve interventions to support weight-loss maintenance in couples

Living in a Comparative World: The Influence of Roommate Characteristics on Body Satisfaction and Eating Behaviors

The current research examined social comparison processes as a moderator of college roommate’s weight, predicting body satisfaction and eating restraint. In two studies – an initial exploration and a replication study – independent samples of undergraduate students completed an online survey including questions about their roommate’s weight, their own weight and weight perceptions, appearance comparison tendencies, behavioral inhibition, self-esteem, body satisfaction, and eating restraint. It was predicted that thinner roommates would increase eating restraint and decrease body satisfaction, but only for individuals sensitive to appearance comparison information. Study 1 (conducted in the fall) provided support for these hypothesis. Study 2 (conducted in the spring) showed some support for the hypothesis, but largely failed to replicate the findings from Study 1. This may be due to differences in timing of the studies, or differences between the samples, including baseline levels of disordered eating and body satisfaction (as discovered in post hoc analysis). Implications of treating individual differences in comparison tendencies as a moderator of a comparison target rather than as a main effect are discussed

Co-rumination Variance Decomposition

Using a variance decomposition procedure on data from a 14-day dyadic diary study, we assessed how much variance in co-rumination was attributable to both temporally stable and temporally varying factors, as well as whether co-rumination is better measured as a couple-level or individual-level process. The full dataset can be found here: https://osf.io/uyfmk/?view_only=adc0e5f633f342d7b986079de8ace50

Anxiety buffer disruption: Self-evaluation, death anxiety, and stressor appraisals among low and high posttraumatic stress symptom samples.

Supplemental materials. Includes methods/protocol document, anonymized open data, and open code for analyses

Social Network Characteristics among Racial/Ethnic Minority Young Adult Males with Prior Criminal Justice System Involvement

Research examining social networks and delinquency risk rarely focuses on the unique period of young adulthood. Young adults who have been involved in the criminal justice system (CJS) may associate with high-risk peers or be less central in their social networks, especially in urban, low-resourced contexts. We used social network analysis to examine prior CJS involvement with network composition and centrality among racial/ethnic minority young adult males (n = 119). Participants with CJS involvement were highly connected to each other and had high-risk peers but were no more or less central in their networks. Understanding delinquency risks for racial/ethnic minority young adult males identifies prevention and intervention targets during the transition to adulthood