Validation of the translated Negative Physical Self Scale in a sample of Asian women living in Canada.

OBJECTIVES: Body dissatisfaction is often linked to the internalization of Western beauty standards. Existing measures of body dissatisfaction, developed in Western societies, may fail to capture complex variations across ethnicities and cultures. The Negative Physical Self Scale (NPSS) assesses cognitive, affective, perceptual, and behavioural facets of body dissatisfaction. While unique in its consideration of Chinese ideals of body image, the NPSS has recently been translated and validated in a North American sample. The English-translated version of the NPSS has the potential to be an appropriate body dissatisfaction assessment tool for Asian women living in North America. The current study aims to validate the NPSS in an Asian female population living in Canada. METHODS: A sample of 899 undergraduate women residing in Canada with self-identified Asian ethnicity completed an online survey consisting of the NPSS and other measures of body dissatisfaction. RESULTS: An initial confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the four-factor structure of the NPSS, previously suggested in a primarily non-Asian North American sample, was a poor fit for the data. A second-order multidimensional model, based on a model proposed during the original development of the NPSS in a Chinese sample, indicated good fit once items were removed due to loadings < .60. High internal consistency between subscales and strong convergent validity with other measures were demonstrated. Notably, the NPSS Body Concern subscale demonstrated high convergence with other popular measures of body dissatisfaction and has the potential for use as a brief measure of body dissatisfaction among North American Asian females in clinical and research settings. CONCLUSIONS: The NPSS provides a valid assessment of body dissatisfaction among a sample of Asian women living in Canada, a specific subpopulation that has not been previously investigated. The findings highlight the importance of developing culturally sensitive measures of body dissatisfaction for differing ethnic and cultural groups.

Examining the validity of eye tracking during the computerized Wisconsin card sorting test in a sample of stroke patients and healthy controls.

INTRODUCTION: Each year, approximately 50,000 Canadians, one million Americans, and millions of people worldwide are hospitalized for stroke. Cognitive impairment is common after experiencing a stroke and is known to affect functioning on daily tasks. While neuropsychological assessments are often employed to assess cognitive abilities and make inferences about functional capabilities, there is growing interest in integrating contemporary technologies to augment assessment. Eye tracking allows previously overlooked information, such as overt visual attention based on fixations and saccades, to be quantified to help elucidate how responses are made during testing. METHOD: The current study investigated the validity of eye tracking during completion of the computerized Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (cWCST), a common test of higher level cognition, in a sample of inpatients recovering from stroke (n= 41) and a control group of healthy individuals (n = 46). RESULTS: Results provided supporting evidence for the construction, criterion, and ecological validity of eye tracking on the cWCST with inpatients recovering from a stroke. Specifically, eye tracking metrics differentiated between inpatients and controls; fixations on cWCST areas of interest differed between type of response (conceptual versus non-conceptual); and average time per fixation predicted functional status early after a stroke as well as recovery during inpatient rehabilitation, above-and-beyond cWCST scores. Time spent on testing negated the effects of fixation and saccade counts for predicting cWCST performance, due to the substantial overlap in variance. CONCLUSION: Current findings of this preliminary study provided support for the validity of eye tracking, integrated with the cWCST, for inpatients recovering from a stroke. Implications and areas for future research are discussed.

Factorial validity, reliability, and measurement invariance of the Negative Physical Self Scale in a sample of men residing in North America.

The Negative Physical Self Scale (NPSS) is a measure of body dissatisfaction that was developed for administration within an Asian sample and has recently been translated to English and validated for use in North American female samples. The aim of the present study was to examine the factor structure and measurement invariance of the English-translated version of the NPSS across three ethnic groups (i.e., Caucasian, Asian, and other) using a sample of men residing in North America. Additionally, the internal consistency, convergent validity, and incremental validity of the NPSS were examined. A sample of 534 young (aged between 18 and 25) North American men completed self-report measures of the NPSS, the Body Shape Questionnaire, the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, and the Male Body Attitudes Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on two hypothesized models. The results supported the second-order factor structure (four factors with three subdimensions). Overall, we found that the factor structure and factor loadings of the NPSS were equal in participants across three broad ethnic categories (i.e., Caucasian, Asian, and other). Likewise, the NPSS displayed first-order scalar invariance. Further, the NPSS test scores demonstrated high internal consistency, strong convergent validity, and incremental validity over and above the existing measures of body dissatisfaction, body attitudes, and disordered eating. In sum, the English version of the NPSS is a valid and appropriate measure to assess body dissatisfaction in men residing in North America. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Exploring the impact of a gratitude-focused meditation on body dissatisfaction: Can a brief auditory gratitude intervention protect young women against exposure to the thin ideal?

This study aimed to determine if a brief gratitude-focused meditation would significantly impact body dissatisfaction, and whether it would serve as a protective factor from exposure to thin idealized images in a sample of undergraduate women. 176 participants (Mage= 19.75) engaged in either a gratitude meditation, mindfulness meditation, or listened to a recording of a history textbook. Women were subsequently exposed to a set of neutral images or thin ideal images. Women reported significant decreases in state body dissatisfaction following all auditory conditions, regardless of auditory content. Decreased levels of body dissatisfaction persisted through exposure to neutral images, but not through exposure to thin ideal images. Results indicated that both the gratitude and mindfulness interventions were effective in eliciting a significant increase in self-reported levels of gratitude and mindfulness compared to controls. The results of the study suggest that auditory micro-interventions can decrease body dissatisfaction in young adult women. However, further investigation into the optimal modality, length, and frequency of micro-interventions aimed at buffering the negative effects of idealized thin image exposure on women is needed.

A psychometric examination of the PAI-SF in persons with recent stroke.

Objective: The present study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Personality Assessment Inventory-Short Form (PAI-SF) for use with patients with recent stroke. Method: Study participants (N = 170) were inpatients in a tertiary hospital in Western Canada admitted to a rehabilitation department who completed a neuropsychological evaluation as part of their care. All participants completed the full-form of the PAI (344 items) and both full- and short-form (160 items) versions were scored from the same protocol. Results: Internal consistency for the PAI-SF scales was assessed by Cronbach's coefficient alpha. Alpha coefficients for clinical scales fell between the range of 0.53 (ANT) to 0.88 (ANX), with three scales (ANT, ALC, and DRG) falling below satisfactory (<0.70). Alpha coefficients were unsatisfactory for validity, treatment, and interpersonal scales. Absolute differences between mean clinical scale t scores between the full and short-form PAI clinical scales ranged from 0.04 (DEP) to 1.18 (MAN). For an individual, absolute differences in scale t scores between the full- and short-forms ranged from 0 to 30 t scores. On average, an individual varied 3.75 t scores between the PAI full- and short-form across all validity, clinical, interpersonal, and treatment scales. Component structure was similar across the full- and short-forms. Conclusions: Findings are somewhat consistent with previous literature on the PAI-SF as the full- and short-forms had minimal differences and similar psychometric properties. However, caution is warranted for the clinical utility for both forms given the lower alpha coefficients and different structure. Only certain clinical scales appear to have strong psychometric properties.

Validation of the translated Negative Physical Self Scale in a female North American sample: Preliminary examination.

In an increasingly multicultural society, there is a need for cross-cultural research on measures of body dissatisfaction, a construct often influenced by sociocultural differences. The current study assessed the psychometric properties of an English translation of the Negative Physical Self Scale (NPSS; Chen, Jackson, & Huang, 2006). A sample of 646 young adult North American women completed an online survey including the NPSS and two widely used measures of body image and eating concerns. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure of the NPSS, three of which (Thinness, Shortness, and Facial Appearance) mirrored those found in Chinese samples. The remaining factor, labeled the Body Concern subscale, was an amalgamation of two factors found in Chinese samples, Fatness and General Appearance, and one item from the Facial Appearance subscale. Extracted factors had high internal consistencies (Cronbach's alpha values above 0.89). The NPSS, particularly the Body Concern Subscale, demonstrated strong convergent validity with other measures of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. The current study provided evidence for the use of a four-factor model of the NPSS among a North American population.

Allocentric Versus Egocentric Neglect in Stroke Patients: A Pilot Study Investigating the Assessment of Neglect Subtypes and Their Impacts on Functional Outcome Using Eye Tracking.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have investigated the assessment and functional impact of egocentric and allocentric neglect among stroke patients. This pilot study aimed to determine (1) whether allocentric and egocentric neglect could be dissociated among a sample of stroke patients using eye tracking; (2) the specific patterns of attention associated with each subtype; and (3) the nature of the relationship between neglect subtype and functional outcome. METHOD: Twenty acute stroke patients were administered neuropsychological assessment batteries, a pencil-and-paper Apples Test to measure neglect subtype, and an adaptation of the Apples Test with an eye tracking measure. To test clinical discriminability, twenty age- and education-matched control participants were administered the eye tracking measure of neglect. RESULTS: The eye tracking measure identified a greater number of individuals as having egocentric and/or allocentric neglect than the pencil-and-paper Apples Test. Classification of neglect subtype based on eye tracking performance was a significant predictor of functional outcome beyond that accounted for by the neuropsychological test performance and Apples Test neglect classification. Preliminary evidence suggests that patients with no neglect symptoms had superior functional outcomes compared with patients with neglect. Patients with combined egocentric and allocentric neglect had poorer functional outcomes than those with either subtype. Functional outcomes of patients with either allocentric or egocentric neglect did not differ significantly. The applications of our findings, to improve neglect detection, are discussed. CONCLUSION: Results highlight the potential clinical utility of eye tracking for the assessment and identification of neglect subtype among stroke patients to predict functional outcomes. (JINS, 2019, 25, 479-489).

Assessing the predictive value of a neuropsychological model on concurrent function in acute stroke recovery and rehabilitation.

Objective: Few studies have examined the relationship between cognition and function for acute stroke inpatients utilizing comprehensive methods. This study aimed to assess the relationship of a neuropsychological model, above and beyond a baseline model, with concurrent functional status across multiple domains in the early weeks of stroke recovery and rehabilitation. Method: Seventy-four acute stroke patients were administered a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. Functional domains of ability, adjustment, and participation were assessed using the Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory - 4 (MPAI-4). Hierarchical linear regression was used to assess a neuropsychological model comprised of cognitive tests scores on domains of executive function, memory, and visuospatial-constructional skills (VSC), after accounting for a baseline model comprised of common demographic and stroke variants used to predict outcome. Results: The neuropsychological model was significantly associated, above and beyond the baseline model, with MPAI-4 Ability, Participation, and Total scores (all p-values < .05). The strength of association varied across functional domains. Analyzing tests of executive function, the Color Trails Test-Part 2 predicted MPAI-4 Participation (ß = -.46, p = .001), and Total score (ß = -.32, p = .02). Conclusion: Neuropsychological assessment contributes independently to the determination of multiple domains of functional function, above and beyond common medical variants of stroke, in the early weeks of recovery and rehabilitation. Multiple tests of executive function are recommended to develop a greater appreciation of a patient's concurrent functional abilities.

Comparison of the Buschke Selective Reminding Test and the California Verbal Learning Test - Second Edition in a heterogeneous sample of people with traumatic brain injury.

This study examined score and classification differences between the Buschke Selective Reminding Test (SRT) and the California Verbal Learning Test - Second Edition (CVLT-II) in a TBI sample. Seventy-nine participants with traumatic brain injury (TBI) were included and were comprised of 49 mild TBI, 11 moderate TBI, and 14 severe TBI. The majority of participants with mild TBI were involved in litigation. Scores were compared between the CVLT-II and SRT on the total sample and after segregating TBI severity. Correlations between the SRT and CVLT-II were variable (r = .23 to .72). Total List score was lower on the SRT across all levels of TBI severity (p < .006). Learning score was lower on the SRT in mild and severe TBI groups (p < .006). Long delay free recall score was lower on the SRT in mild TBI group only (p < .006). Across TBI severity, lower scores were found on the CVLT-II between severe and mild TBI (p = .04). Scores on the SRT did not differ between TBI severities. The two tests appear to provide different clinical interpretations in a TBI sample. Results may be due to features of the normative data, test procedures, and/or word lists. Clinical implications and limitations are discussed.

Psychological disturbance and cognitive functioning in TBI patients.

The current study examined psychopathology and neuropsychological test performance in a traumatic brain injury (TBI) patient sample. Previous research has found that the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Second Edition (MMPI-2) indices of psychological disturbance were related to specific neuropsychological tests of attention and memory. Furthermore, higher scores on clinical scale 2 (Depression) and higher scores on the content scales of Fears and Bizarre Mentation of the MMPI-2 were related to poorer performance in, most notably, Attention and List Learning factors. The present study sought to extend the research by adding a neuropsychological measure of conceptual reasoning. A sample of 116 TBI patients referred for evaluation at a private practice clinic were administered a battery of neuropsychological measures of list learning, working memory, verbal memory, visuographic memory, and conceptual reasoning, as well as the MMPI-2 to assess emotional functioning. Regression analysis indicated that an overall model of MMPI-2 indices significantly predicted poorer performance on List Learning. More specifically, higher scores on the content scales of Obsessions and Fears were most robustly associated with poorer neuropsychological test performance for List Learning and Working Memory respectively. Findings suggest psychopathology is correlated with performance on neuropsychological measures for TBI patients.

Comparison of the Buschke Selective Reminding Test and the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition in a stroke population.

There are many tests of learning and memory; however, not all yield analogous results and thus are not interchangeable. This study examined the relationship between the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition (CVLT-II) and the Buschke Selective Reminding Test (SRT) in a stroke population. Data from stroke inpatients (N = 102) referred for rehabilitation were collected from medical records. Both tests were administered, as part of a larger neuropsychological assessment. Analyses were conducted on Z-scores from the List Total, Learning, and Long Delay Free Recall (LDFR) subscales of the two tests. SRT and CVLT-II scores were significantly correlated (r = .34 to .52, all p values <.001). However, scores were significantly worse on the SRT compared to the CVLT-II (d = -.90 to - 1.46, all p values <.001). Left hemisphere strokes performed worse than right hemisphere strokes on both tests; however, this trend was not significant. The SRT appeared to be more sensitive to impairment than the CVLT-II; thus, the two tests may not be interchangeable in a stroke population.

Is abstinence really the best option? Exploring the role of exercise in the treatment and management of eating disorders.

Exercise prescription is suggested to help manage exercise abuse and improve overall eating disorder (ED) prognosis. This study explored emerging perceptions of ED health professionals concerning the role of exercise as a supportive treatment for EDs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with international health professionals (n=13) with expertise in ED treatment. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed through thematic analysis. Four themes were revealed and titled 1) understanding the current state; 2) gaining perspectives; 3) barriers and benefits; 4) one size does not fit all. Within these themes, participants described the current state of exercise in ED treatment and suggested there exists a gap in research knowledge and practice. Participants also identified the implications of incorporating exercise into treatment and how an exercise protocol may be designed. Results enhance the understanding of the role of exercise in ED treatment and how it may further benefit individuals with EDs.

Risk for eating disorders modulates interpretation bias in a semantic priming task.

The current study used a semantic priming paradigm to investigate the presence of implicit interpretation biases for food and body shape words among 118 undergraduate females. Reaction times (RTs) were recorded while participants made lexical decisions (i.e., word vs. non-word judgments) to lexical targets that were preceded by negatively valenced eating disorder related (e.g., fat-PIZZA), eating disorder unrelated (e.g., party-PIZZA), or semantically unrelated (e.g., umbrella-PIZZA) prime words. Self-reported eating disorder traits were assessed using the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-34), the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), and the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE-Q 6.0). Results suggested that biased RT priming effects for eating disorder related word pairs were strongly associated with measures of body dissatisfaction and ED symptomology. Specifically, scales targeting eating disordered cognitions (the BSQ-34 and the Shape/Weight Concern subscales of the EDE-Q 6.0) demonstrated the strongest association with implicit interpretation biases as assessed by performance on the semantic priming task.

Does symptom type moderate the relationship between insight and outcome in cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis? A preliminary investigation.

Insight has emerged as a potential predictor variable in cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis (CBTp). However, previous research has produced mixed results. The present study aimed to clarify whether symptom type is a moderating variable. A group of psychotic patients (n = 44) were assessed through pre- and post-treatment in a CBTp specialty track in a partial hospital-based program in the USA. The Insight Scale was used to measure insight, and psychotic symptomatology was assessed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview and the Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale. Patients showed a significant decrease in psychotic symptom scores over the course of treatment [t(43) = 3.59, p < .001, Cohen's d = .64]. Furthermore, illness awareness was specifically associated with a decrease in psychotic symptoms for patients who endorsed visual hallucinations (r = - .68, p < .01), auditory hallucinations (r = - .49, p = .01), and/or ideas of reference (r = - .66, p < .01). Insight did not confer additional benefit for patients with paranoid delusions, mind reading, or thought insertion symptoms. These results are discussed in relation to treatment implications within the current US health care delivery system.

Bilingual lexical access during L1 sentence reading: The effects of L2 knowledge, semantic constraint, and L1-L2 intermixing.

Libben and Titone (2009) recently observed that cognate facilitation and interlingual homograph interference were attenuated by increased semantic constraint during bilingual second language (L2) reading, using eye movement measures. We now investigate whether cross-language activation also occurs during first language (L1) reading as a function of age of L2 acquisition and task demands (i.e., inclusion of L2 sentences). In Experiment 1, participants read high and low constraint English (L1) sentences containing interlingual homographs, cognates, or control words. In Experiment 2, we included French (L2) filler sentences to increase salience of the L2 during L1 reading. The results suggest that bilinguals reading in their L1 show nonselective activation to the extent that they acquired their L2 early in life. Similar to our previous work on L2 reading, high contextual constraint attenuated cross-language activation for cognates. The inclusion of French filler items promoted greater cross-language activation, especially for late stage reading measures. Thus, L1 bilingual reading is modulated by L2 knowledge, semantic constraint, and task demands.

Bilingual lexical access in context: evidence from eye movements during reading.

Current models of bilingualism (e.g., BIA+) posit that lexical access during reading is not language selective. However, much of this research is based on the comprehension of words in isolation. The authors investigated whether nonselective access occurs for words embedded in biased sentence contexts (e.g., A. I. Schwartz & J. F. Kroll, 2006). Eye movements were recorded as French-English bilinguals read English sentences containing cognates (e.g., piano), interlingual homographs (e.g., coin, meaning corner in French), or matched control words. Sentences provided a low or high semantic constraint for target-language meanings. Both early-stage comprehension measures (e.g., first fixation duration, gaze duration, and skipping) and late-stage comprehension measures (e.g., go-past time and total reading time) showed significant cognate facilitation and interlingual homograph interference for low-constraint sentences. For high-constraint sentences, however, only early-stage comprehension measures were consistent with nonselective access. There was no evidence of cognate facilitation or interlingual homograph interference for late-stage comprehension measures. Thus, nonselective bilingual lexical access at early stages of comprehension is rapidly resolved in semantically biased contexts at later stages of comprehension.

The multidetermined nature of idiom processing.

Models of idiom comprehension differ in their predictions concerning compositionality: Some claim that idiomatic meaning is the result of compositional analysis initiated at the earliest stages of comprehension, whereas others claim that compositional analysis occurs only at late stages, subsequent to direct retrieval--especially for idioms that are highly familiar. We evaluated these alternatives in four experiments by using a variety of online and offline comprehension measures. In Experiment 1, we analyzed the normative characteristics of 219 idioms with respect to these predictions. Dimensions of interest included several measures of decomposability, familiarity, and word frequency of the idioms' verbs and nouns. In Experiments 2 through 4, we determined how these dimensions relate to several online measures of idiom comprehension. High familiarity was associated with good comprehension across all experiments; however, facilitative effects of decomposability were found only for tasks that required an overt semantic judgment. Word frequency, but not semantic decomposability of the idiom-initial verb, was associated with comprehension for some measures. These data support a model of idiom comprehension, according to which figurative meaning arises from the time-dependent availability of multiple linguistic constraints, and in which decomposability plays a limited role in the earliest stages of idiom comprehension. Normative data for 210 of the idiomatic phrases may be downloaded from the Psychonomic Society Web archive at www.psychonomic.org/archive/.