Examining associations between disordered eating and harmful substance use in a nationally representative sample of US veterans.

OBJECTIVE: The association between eating disorders (EDs) and harmful substance use (substance use that causes psychosocial impairment) is well recognized in the literature, and military veterans may be at heightened risk for both issues due to deployment-related stressors. However, little is known about which ED-related symptoms are associated with harmful substance use in veterans, and whether gender plays a differential role in this relationship. Our aims were to: (1) examine gender differences in ED-related symptoms; and (2) examine whether ED-related symptoms differentially predict harmful substance use in US veteran men and women who had recently separated from service. METHOD: This study was based on a nationally representative four-wave longitudinal sample of post-9/11 veterans (N = 835; 61.2% female). Longitudinal mixed modeling was used to test whether specific ED-related behaviors at baseline predicted harmful substance use at follow-ups. RESULTS: We replicated gendered patterns of ED-related symptoms observed in civilian populations, wherein men had higher weight-and-body-related concerns (including excessive exercise and muscle building) and negative attitude toward obesity, and women had higher bulimic and restricting symptoms. For women, alcohol, drug, and marijuana problems were predicted by higher bulimic symptoms, whereas for men, these problems were predicted by higher restricting symptoms. CONCLUSION: Gender played a differential role in the relationship between EDs and harmful substance use. Bulimic symptoms were the most robust predictor for harmful substance use among veteran women, whereas restricting was the most robust predictor for harmful substance use among veteran men. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: The current study found that veteran women had higher bulimic symptoms (characterized by binge eating and purging) and restricting than veteran men. In women, bulimic symptoms predicted future harmful use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs. In contrast, veteran men had higher weight-and-body-related concerns (characterized by excessive exercise and muscle building) than veteran women. In men, restricting symptoms predicted future harmful use of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs.

A content analysis of twitter backlash to Georgia's abortion ban.

OBJECTIVE: Georgia's House Bill 481: The Living Infants Fairness and Equality Act (LIFE Act), which prohibits abortion after cardiac activity is detected, was signed into law on May 7, 2019. The bill's proponents framed the ban to protect the "unborn." However, less is known about the framing used by abortion rights supporters to oppose the bill in the context of social media. The aim of this study is to systematically examine the content of Twitter to investigate how users organically engaged in activism in response to the passage of HB 481. We contend that understanding this opposition is critical for activists, healthcare providers, and policymakers interested in mobilizing public support for maintaining legal access to abortion care. METHODS: A coding team of 6 researchers conducted a combined a priori and iterative thematic content analysis of 583 #HB481 tweets to systematically examine how social media users framed their responses to HB 481. Tweets were coded for full group consensus. RESULTS: Opposition to HB 481 was framed around three major themes: mobilizing political action, emphasizing a collective gender identity, and general rejection of the bill. Fourteen subthemes are contained in these major themes, which reflect the nuanced and multifaceted ways abortion rights supporters presented their opposition to the bill. CONCLUSION: Twitter users invoked emotional reactions and drew on their experiences to promote a collective identity that called attention to systemic gender oppression and urged widespread mobilization to oppose HB 481.

Developing an Effective Campus Sexual Assault Prevention Task Force: Lessons Learned From Multiple Midwestern Universities.

Background/Aim. Developing a comprehensive prevention strategy requires a coordinated effort among campus stakeholders. Creating a campus sexual assault prevention task force consisting of key stakeholders is a way to ensure coordinated and sustainable prevention efforts. Understanding how to convene and maintain an effective campus prevention task force is important. However, there is little literature offering such guidance. In this article, we present the facilitators, barriers, and lessons learned from creating a campus sexual assault prevention task force in seven Midwestern postsecondary institutions. Method. Our data come from interviews with 25 key stakeholders, representing seven Midwestern postsecondary institutions. Questions focused on the perceived strengths and capacity to form a campus prevention task force, barriers, current campus knowledge, and attitudes toward sexual assault, current institutional support for prevention efforts, and current prevention programing. Results. Main barriers to developing a task force included (a) limited capacity, (b) lack of knowledge, (c) limited student engagement, and (d) bureaucratic structure. Facilitators included (a) strong interpersonal relationships, (b) a positive campus culture, and (c) preexisting programing.