Does fat talk affect relationship and sexual satisfaction?: Adults' perceptions of fat talk in a fictional romantic relationship.

Little is known about how fat talk - a verbal expression of body image concerns - functions within romantic relationships. This study used vignettes about a fictional couple to examine how varied levels of a woman's fat talk were perceived by participants as affecting a fictional couple's relationship and sexual satisfaction. Participants were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk and included 239 heterosexual people (127 men, 112 women) with long-term relationship experience. Using a 3 (Level of Body Talk: Excessive vs. Minimal Fat Talk vs. Self-Accepting Talk) × 2 (Participant Gender: Male vs. Female) × 2 (Perspective: Husband vs. Wife) between-subjects design, participants read a vignette where the target woman used varying levels of body talk when speaking with her partner. Afterwards, participants completed a series of questionnaires to report on their perceptions of the couple's relationship and sexual satisfaction. Supporting hypotheses, results indicated that participants in the Excessive Fat Talk condition perceived lower relationship and sexual satisfaction levels than the Minimal Fat Talk and Self-Accepting Body Talk conditions. No differences emerged between those exposed to the Self-Accepting and Minimal Fat Talk vignette dialog. Male participants reported lower perceived relationship quality and sexual satisfaction than women participants. Research in this area is in its infancy, and more is needed (especially with actual couples) to better understand how fat talk, as a behavioral function of poor body image, impacts relationship functioning.

Colony-stimulating factor-1- and interleukin-34-derived macrophages differ in their susceptibility to Mycobacterium marinum.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), remains the leading global cause of death from an infectious agent. Mycobacteria thrive within their host Mϕs and presently, there is no animal model that permits combined in vitro and in vivo study of mycobacteria-host Mϕ interactions. Mycobacterium marinum (Mm), which causes TB in aquatic vertebrates, has become a promising model for TB research, owing to its close genetic relatedness to Mtb and the availability of alternative, natural host aquatic animal models. Here, we adopted the Xenopus laevis frog-Mm surrogate infection model to study host Mϕ susceptibility and resistance to mycobacteria. Mϕ differentiation is regulated though the CSF-1 receptor (CSF-1R), which is activated by CSF-1 and the unrelated IL-34 cytokines. Using combined in vitro and in vivo approaches, we demonstrated that CSF-1-Mϕs exacerbate Mm infections, are more susceptible to mycobacterial entry and are less effective at killing this pathogen. By contrast, IL-34-Mϕs confer anti-Mm resistance in vivo, are less susceptible to Mm entry and more effectively eliminate internalized mycobacteria. Moreover, we showed that the human CSF-1- and IL-34-Mϕs are likewise, respectively, susceptible and resistant to mycobacteria, and that both frog and human CSF-1-Mϕs are more prone to the spread of mycobacteria and to being infected by Mm-laden Mϕs than the respective IL-34-Mϕ subsets. This work marks the first report describing the roles of these Mϕ subsets in mycobacterial disease and may well lead to the development of more targeted anti-Mtb approaches.

A multidimensional approach to understanding the potential risk factors and covariates of adult picky eating.

OBJECTIVE: Adult picky eating (PE) has received increased attention in the eating behavior literature due to its important association with adult avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). The current study tested a model of potential risk factors of adult PE behavior, including perceived early parental feeding practices. An exploratory model was also utilized to understand associations with different aspects of adult PE behaviors. METHODS: A sample of 1339 US adults recruited through Amazon's MTurk completed an online survey that included the recently developed Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire (APEQ), retrospective reports of parental feeding practices, and other measures of eating behavior and demographic variables. A structural equation modeling procedure tested a series of regression models that included BMI and disordered eating behaviors as covariates. RESULTS: SEM modeling indicated that retrospective reports of greater parental pressure to eat, higher disgust sensitivity, lower PE age of onset, and experiencing an aversive food event were associated with general adult PE behavior. Results also indicated parental encouragement of healthy eating may be a protective factor, and that men endorsed higher levels of adult PE. Exploratory analyses indicated that cross-sectional predictors and covariates were differentially related to specific aspects of PE as measured by the APEQ subscales. CONCLUSIONS: Early experiences, including parental approaches to feeding, appear to be potential risk factors of PE behavior in adults. A nuanced understanding of adult PE is important for the prevention and treatment of severe PE behaviors, related psychosocial impairment, and ARFID.

Everyone else is doing it (I think): The power of perception in fat talk.

Fat talk (FT) involves critiquing one's own appearance in social conversations. Although peers are known to prompt FT behavior, there has been little exploration of the influence of mothers and research has not distinguished between self-reported FT and perceptions of FT. This study addresses this research gap by investigating the relationships between participants' FT and corresponding FT of both self-reported and perceived FT of their mothers and friends. A sample of 120 undergraduate women, along with their mothers and friends, reported their FT behavior. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that friend-reported (but not mother-reported) FT and the daughters' perceived FT of both friends and mothers were significant predictors of daughter FT. However, daughters' perceptions of their friends' and mothers' FT predicted a significantly larger portion of variance than self-reported FT of friends and mothers. These results are important to consider when examining potential influences on the development of FT behavior.

Measuring adult picky eating: The development of a multidimensional self-report instrument.

A brief multidimensional measure of adult picky eating (PE) behavior was developed using a large U.S. adult sample. In addition, the study explored associations between specific aspects of adult PE behavior and psychosocial impairment in effort to support the inclusion of adults in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-5) avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). The study included 3 phases of qualitative and quantitative data collection. Participants were 1,663 U.S. adults who completed online surveys. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to develop PE subscales. Associations among the PE subscales and measures of psychosocial impairment were examined. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis supported a 16-item 4-factor model of adult PE that included subscales of meal presentation, food variety, meal disengagement, and taste aversion. The measure also demonstrated convergence with previous measures of PE. The meal disengagement and meal presentation subscales demonstrated significant associations with social eating anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, eating related quality of life (QOL), and psychological flexibility. Meal disengagement alone was significantly associated with depressive symptoms. The Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire (APEQ) demonstrated sound psychometric properties and may be used to further investigate adult PE behavior. The relationships between adult PE and psychological impairment, particularly social anxiety, support the inclusion of ARFID in the DSM-5. (PsycINFO Database Record

A preliminary investigation of racial differences in body talk in age-diverse U.S. adults.

To compare racial similarities and differences in conversations about body image, this online study surveyed U.S. adult men (n=1928) and women (n=1965) on 1) exposure to and 2) pressure to engage in body talk using vignettes featuring unfavorable body talk (e.g., "fat talk") or favorable self-accepting body talk. Black women reported less unfavorable body talk compared to White, Hispanic, and Asian women. Conversely, Black and Hispanic women reported more experience with favorable body talk compared to White women. Asian men reported more experience with favorable and unfavorable body talk compared to White men, and Black men reported more experience with favorable body talk compared to White men. Findings for Black women and men are largely consistent with body image literature espousing personal individualization of beauty and style (e.g., "She's got it going on"). Given the dearth of research on body talk among men, conclusions regarding racial differences among men are tentative. Further exploration of varying forms of body talk holds promise for the development of culturally-sensitive prevention and treatment efforts for body image and disordered eating among culturally diverse groups of men and women.

Recollections of pressure to eat during childhood, but not picky eating, predict young adult eating behavior.

Picky eating is a childhood behavior that vexes many parents and is a symptom in the newer diagnosis of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) in adults. Pressure to eat, a parental controlling feeding practice aimed at encouraging a child to eat more, is associated with picky eating and a number of other childhood eating concerns. Low intuitive eating, an insensitivity to internal hunger and satiety cues, is also associated with a number of problem eating behaviors in adulthood. Whether picky eating and pressure to eat are predictive of young adult eating behavior is relatively unstudied. Current adult intuitive eating and disordered eating behaviors were self-reported by 170 college students, along with childhood picky eating and pressure through retrospective self- and parent reports. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that childhood parental pressure to eat, but not picky eating, predicted intuitive eating and disordered eating symptoms in college students. These findings suggest that parental pressure in childhood is associated with problematic eating patterns in young adulthood. Additional research is needed to understand the extent to which parental pressure is a reaction to or perhaps compounds the development of problematic eating behavior.

Parental child feeding practices: how do perceptions of mother, father, sibling, and self vary?

Mothers are important contributors to the development of eating behavior in children, but less is known about the influence of fathers. The purpose of this study was to investigate family perceptions of parental child feeding practices. Seventy two-parent American families including a mother, father, and two biologically related children participated in the study. Participants completed parent and child versions of the Child Feeding Questionnaire that assessed perceptions of parental control in child feeding. Most family member reports were positively correlated, indicating agreement about the use of the examined parental feeding practices; however, some salient differences between the reported behaviors of mothers and fathers were uncovered. Mothers reported using higher levels of monitoring and responsibility than fathers. In addition, fathers and children reported higher levels of paternal pressure related to feeding compared with mothers. Mothers and fathers used more pressure and felt more responsible for feeding younger children compared with older children. One interaction revealed that older male siblings reported the highest level of pressure from fathers. Reported differences in parents' use of child feeding practices suggest that mothers and fathers may have distinct interactions with their children regarding food. Paternal feeding practices are likely to have unique implications for understanding the development of children's eating behavior.

Body size dissatisfaction and avoidance behavior: how gender, age, ethnicity, and relative clothing size predict what some won't try.

Sixty-eight percent of U.S. adults are overweight/obese, and this epidemic has physical, psychosocial, and behavioral consequences. An internet sample of adults (N=2997) perceiving themselves as larger than ideal in clothing size reported their body mass index (BMI), relative clothing size (RS; discrepancy between current and ideal size), and avoidance behaviors. Exploratory factor analysis of 10 avoidance items produced social avoidance and body display avoidance factors. A relative importance analysis revealed RS as a better predictor than BMI for avoidance. A hierarchical multivariate analysis of covariance found RS to predict both avoidance constructs. The relationship between RS and both avoidance constructs was stronger for women than men, and for younger as compared to older participants. Caucasians reported more body display avoidance than African Americans. This suggests that personal dissatisfaction with body size may deter involvement in varied life events and that women are especially avoidant of activities that entail displaying their bodies.

The role of child temperament in parental child feeding practices and attitudes using a sibling design.

Although previous research indicates that parental child feeding practices are one component of a bidirectional relationship between children and parents, little is known about how child temperament operates in this relationship. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between child temperament and parental feeding practices and attitudes using a sibling design. By collecting data regarding pairs of siblings, we were able to investigate sibling differences and differential parental treatment. We examined mothers' and fathers' perceptions of their two children's temperaments as well as reports of the feeding practices and attitudes they use with each child. Fifty-five mothers and fathers completed questionnaires including the Carey Temperament Scales and the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ). Results from correlation analyses showed that 6 of the 9 father reports of temperament between two siblings were positively related, whereas 1 of the 9 mother reports were positively related. Mothers' and fathers' perceptions of temperament were positively correlated for a single child. Some patterns were found between parental reports of sibling temperament and child feeding practices and attitudes, suggesting that temperament plays a role in how parents feed their children.

Parental use of differential restrictive feeding practices with siblings.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between sibling weight status, concerns about sibling weight, and parents' differential use of restrictive feeding practices. METHODS: Participants included 70 mother-father pairs with two biological children between 6 and 12 years old. Each parent completed three Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) subscales (perception of child weight, concern about child weight, and restriction) for each participant sibling. Researchers measured heights and weights and converted child data into Body Mass Index percentiles (BMI%). Multiple regression analysis examined predictors of restrictive feeding practices used by both parents. The nature of differential treatment was examined by calculating Pearson's correlations among sibling differences (older minus younger sibling) in maternal and paternal CFQ reports and sibling BMI%. RESULTS: Concern for child weight, but not actual child BMI% or parental perception of child weight, predicted restrictive feeding practices for both parents. Child gender was not related to child weight status, perception of child weight, concern for child weight, or restriction. Parents were more likely to use differential restrictive feeding practices when they had differential concern for the weight status of their children. However, this differential treatment was not related to differences in actual sibling BMI% or parental perception of child weight. CONCLUSIONS: Parental concern for child weight, rather than actual child weight status, predicts restriction by both mothers and fathers. Across families, parents generally tend to use similar feeding practices with each of their children. Within families, parents may have different interactions with each sibling regarding food when differentially concerned about sibling weight status.

Predicting ideal body mass index: what does clothing size have to do with it?

This study examined demographic and anthropometric variables as predictors of ideal body mass index (BMI) from cross-sectional, archival, self-reported data from the Psychology of Size Survey of 4014 U.S. residents collected in 2007. As hypothesized, ideal BMI can be predicted by a within gender hierarchical multiple regression analysis with the predictor variables of age, number of clothing sizes from ideal size, and current BMI; these variables account for 54.1% of variance in women's ideal BMI and 65.5% of variance in men's ideal BMI. Findings also demonstrated a logarithmic relationship between current BMI and ideal BMI, with increasing variance in ideal BMI for individuals with high current BMIs. These findings evidence the strong role of current body characteristics in the formation of ideals. Understanding how individuals conceptualize body ideals can inform researchers and practitioners alike, as this evidence has important implications related to both medical and psychological health.

Physical cues of ovulatory status: a failure to replicate enhanced facial attractiveness and reduced waist-to-hip ratio at high fertility.

We investigated women's facial attractiveness and body shape as a function of menstrual cycle phase, with the expectation from previous research that both would be enhanced during the high fertile phase. To control for the effects of women's daily behaviors on their appearance and waistline, we visited 37 normally cycling women twice in their dorm, where we photographed and measured them at low and high fertile days of their cycle immediately upon their waking. Seventy-four judges from a separate institution chose, for each woman, the picture they thought was more attractive. We analyzed a subset of 20 women who, by forward counting, had a High Fertility visit between Days 10-13 and a Low Fertility visit between Days 20-23; and we also analyzed a subsample of 17 women who, by reverse counting, had a High Fertility visit on the days leading to ovulation and a Low Fertility visit one week after ovulation. In neither set of analyses were women's waist- to-hip ratios lower nearer ovulation, and in neither set were women's high fertile pictures chosen at an above-chance rate by either male or female judges. We did not find evidence that facial attractiveness and waist-to-hip ratio are reliable physical cues of ovulatory status.

Tracking exceptional human capital over two decades.

Talent-search participants (286 males, 94 females) scoring in the top 0.01% on cognitive-ability measures were identified before age 13 and tracked over 20 years. Their creative, occupational, and life accomplishments are compared with those of graduate students (299 males, 287 females) enrolled in top-ranked U.S. mathematics, engineering, and physical science programs in 1992 and tracked over 10 years. By their mid-30s, the two groups achieved comparable and exceptional success (e.g., securing top tenure-track positions) and reported high and commensurate career and life satisfaction. College entrance exams administered to intellectually precocious youth uncover extraordinary potential for careers requiring creativity and scientific and technological innovation in the information age.