Online Methods in Adolescent Self-Injury Research: Challenges and Recommendations.

Online methods hold promise as effective research tools for adolescent psychopathology research. Such methods may be the most effective way to reach large, representative samples of adolescents and harder-to-reach populations. They also may increase adolescent disclosure of risky behaviors, reduce recruitment costs, and increase the cost and time efficiency of recruitment. Despite these advantages, researchers may be concerned about including measures assessing risky behaviors, like suicidal thoughts and behaviors and nonsuicidal self-injury, in online studies of youth. In addition, parental consent in online studies is impractical and difficult to obtain. Concerns also include potential iatrogenic effects, sample bias, and data quality issues. This review discusses the benefits and challenges for online adolescent self-injury research, proposes strategies to overcome barriers, and provides examples and recommendations for future research.

Development and Validation of the Eating Disorders Screen for Athletes (EDSA): A Brief Screening Tool for Male and Female Athletes.

OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate the Eating Disorders Screen for Athletes (EDSA), a brief eating disorders screening tool for use in both male and female athletes. METHODS: Data from Division I athletes at a Midwestern university (N=434) were used to conduct exploratory factor analysis (EFA) by gender. Data from athletes competing at various levels at universities across the United States (N=862) were then used to conduct confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis by gender. Athletes from a range of lean and non-lean sports were included. Gender-specific empirically derived cut-offs on the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire were used to classify high eating disorder risk for ROC curve analysis. Measurement invariance by gender, level of competition, and sport type was also examined. RESULTS: A six-item, one-factor structure for the EDSA was supported by EFA and CFA in both genders, and internal consistency was good for both male (α=. 80) and female athletes (α=.86). ROC curve analyses indicated that the EDSA was highly accurate in predicting eating disorder risk status and identified a score of 3.33 as the optimal cut-off for both male (sensitivity=.96, specificity=.80) and female athletes (sensitivity=.96, specificity=.64). Results also supported strong measurement invariance for the EDSA by gender, level of competition (Division I versus club), and sport type (lean versus non-lean). CONCLUSIONS: The EDSA shows promise as a brief screening tool to identify male and female athletes at risk for eating disorders.

Why I recovered: A qualitative investigation of factors promoting motivation for eating disorder recovery.

OBJECTIVE: It is difficult for individuals with eating disorders (EDs) to build and maintain motivation to recover. This challenge contributes to high rates of treatment dropout and relapse. To date, motivational interventions have been largely ineffective, and there is little research on factors that affect recovery motivation. To better understand recovery motivation and identify potential intervention targets, this study examines factors that affect recovery motivation in individuals with EDs. METHOD: N = 13 participants completed qualitative interviews. All had been recovered from their diagnosed and treated ED for at least 1 year. We applied thematic analysis to interview transcripts in order to identify factors that had influenced recovery motivation and to classify their effects as helpful, harmful, or mixed. RESULTS: Six main themes were identified, with subthemes detailed under each: (a) important people and groups (e.g., social circle, mentor), (b) actions and attitudes of others (e.g., judgmental responses, failure to intervene), (c) treatment-related factors (e.g., therapeutic skills, therapeutic alliance), (d) influential circumstances (e.g., removing triggers, pregnancy/children), (e) personal feelings and beliefs (e.g., obligation to others, hope for the future), and (f) the role of epiphanies (i.e., sudden insights or moments of change). DISCUSSION: In this study, we identified potentially malleable factors that may affect ED recovery motivation (e.g., removing triggers, focusing on obligation to others, getting involved in meaningful causes, securing non-judgmental support, building hope for the future). These factors may be investigated as potential targets or strategies in motivational interventions for EDs.

Athleisure: A qualitative investigation of a multi-billion-dollar clothing trend.

Clothes play a ubiquitous, yet under-appreciated social role. In the context of body image, clothes may both reflect and facilitate wearers' ideals and anxieties about their physical appearance. Athleisure, referring to athletic-inspired workout apparel that explicitly accentuates wearers' physiques, is a hitherto unexamined clothing trend worth tens of billions of dollars annually (and growing) in the United States consumer market alone. We conducted the first qualitative examination of athleisure by interviewing 20 women who regularly wore athleisure. Four master themes emerged from the data: (1) the athleisure lifestyle, (2) the conditional nature of athleisure, (3) athleisure embodiment, and (4) athleisure-linked cognitive dissonance. Our results suggest that wearing athleisure communicates to others an adherence to the lifestyles depicted in fitspiration - a class of social media imagery that glorifies thin-fit bodies. Participants articulated that athleisure encouraged them to feel more confident and athletic; athleisure also emphasized the women's physiques, and whether they aligned with the thin-fit ideal. Thus, the act of wearing athleisure motivated participants to engage in fitspiration-based activities. Given the (a) massive public demand for athleisure, and (b) industry projections for continued growth in athleisure spending, our findings compel additional research on the connections between clothing and body image.