The interaction of negative psychological well-being and picky eating in relation to disordered eating in undergraduate students.

The extant literature on picky eating focuses on children, leaving adults understudied. A sparse and mixed evidence base suggests relationships exist between picky eating and disordered eating in adults. The present study furthered this research by examining shared negative psychological correlates as moderators that may strengthen relationships between picky eating and disordered eating in undergraduate students. Participants (N = 509; 76.3% female) completed a cross-sectional survey assessing picky eating (Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire), disordered eating (Binge Eating Scale and Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire), and negative psychological correlates including anxiety, depression, and stress (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 Items), inflexible eating (Inflexible Eating Questionnaire), obsessive compulsive disorder (Short Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Screener), and social eating anxiety (adapted Social Phobia Scale) symptoms. Positive relationships were observed between picky eating and binge eating, dietary restraint, eating concerns, overall eating pathology, and all negative psychological correlates. Moderation analyses examined if negative psychological correlates strengthened relationships between picky eating and disordered eating. Higher inflexible eating and anxiety and stress symptoms interacted with higher picky eating in relation to disordered eating, specifically eating concerns. Interactions between picky eating and negative psychological correlates did not explain variance in binge eating, dietary restraint, and overall eating pathology. Findings complement research demonstrating overlap between picky eating and disordered eating and highlight specific negative psychological correlates that may strengthen relationships between picky eating and disordered eating. Researchers and clinicians interested in concurrent picky eating and disordered eating should consider these negative psychological correlates given their potential to worsen disordered eating.

Voluntary uptake and continuation of treatment among court-involved youth: Lessons learned from the implementation of Functional Family Therapy in a community setting.

Functional Family Therapy (FFT) is generally recognized as an effective intervention for court-involved youth. Relatively few studies, however, have focused on the delivery of FFT among youth offenders, especially among older minority youth located at the "deep end" of the juvenile justice system. This research adds to this sparse literature by focusing on the voluntary uptake and continuation of FFT among such youth (N = 60) in Lucas County, Ohio. Most of these youth were Black males nearing adult age who were referred to FFT while in residential placement or on probation. Getting these youth to start and advance in therapy proved a considerable challenge, with only 28% of referred youth making it to the final phase of FFT. Multiple group meetings and an interview with court and treatment practitioners brought to light various factors viewed by these personnel as inhibiting uptake and retention. These factors serve as potential lessons that other jurisdictions can learn from and have implications for future research on FFT that are discussed. These lessons learned include (1) setting an expected rate of uptake and retention that reflects the risk profile of referred youth; (2) considering whether to deliver FFT alone or in combination with other services; (3) devising ways to incentivize uptake and retention; (4) formalizing FFT eligibility or referral criteria; and (5) weighing whether to exclude certain youth or families from FFT due to factors such as guardian turnover.

Teacher Experience, Personal Health, and Dieting Status Is Associated With Classroom Health-Related Practices and Modeling.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that schools play an important role in student health; however, little is known about variability in teachers' use of food-related classroom practices. In this study, we examined associations between teacher demographic and individual factors and their food-related practices and modeling in the classroom. METHODS: We had 239 teachers in the United States complete an online survey about their demographics (years of teaching experience, socioeconomic status of the school), personal health status, height and weight, and nutrition knowledge. Teachers also reported on the unhealthy food-related practices they use in their classroom (eg, candy as a reward) and modeling (ie, engaging in unhealthy and healthy eating practices in front of students). RESULTS: Hierarchical linear regressions were computed for each outcome separately. After controlling for socioeconomic status, fewer years of teaching experience and lower perception of personal health were associated with the use of unhealthy practices in the classroom. Teachers who were dieting were more likely to endorse healthy modeling. CONCLUSIONS: Teacher demographic and individual factors are associated with food-related classroom behavior. These findings have implications for interventions to promote the health of teachers and their students.

Perceived Infant Well-Being and Self-Reported Distress in Neonatal Nurses.

BACKGROUND: Infants who are admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may experience significant symptom burden. Parents are often distressed by these symptoms, which can affect their long-term coping and distress. There is limited research examining nurse perceptions of infant well-being (symptoms, suffering, and quality of life [QOL]) and associations with nurse distress. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this descriptive study was to explore associations between nurse perceptions of infant well-being and self-reported distress. METHODS: Nurses caring for infants with potentially life-threatening/life-limiting conditions were recruited from a Level IV NICU in the Midwestern United States as a part of a study on infant symptom burden. Nurses reported their perceptions of infant well-being and their own distress on a 5-point Likert scale. Surveys were administered at the bedside weekly for up to 12 weeks, depending on length of stay. Infant suffering and QOL were examined in relation to nurse distress. A cross-classified multilevel model was used to account for dependence within nurse and within patient. RESULTS: A total of 593 surveys were collected from nurses. Using a cross-classified multilevel model with variables entered simultaneously, nurse perceptions of greater infant suffering and lower infant QOL were significantly associated with greater nurse distress. DISCUSSION: Preliminary evidence shows that greater perceived infant suffering and lower perceived infant QOL may be associated with greater levels of self-reported distress in NICU nurses. Further work is needed to better understand factors related to symptom management in the NICU and the potential role of caregiver distress and compassion fatigue in NICU nurses.

How adolescents define their home neighborhoods conceptually and spatially.

To advance person-centered methods of operationalizing youths' social environment, we explored adolescents' definitions of "home neighborhood" by integrating narrative data with geographic information systems. We gathered data using semi-structured interviews and sketch maps with 55 adolescents aged 11-19 (78% African-American) in urban neighborhoods. We analyzed transcripts for themes through an iterative coding process and geocoded neighborhood sketches and activity locations using ArcGIS software. Thematic analyses revealed that adolescents identify their home neighborhood based on relationships with residents, personal histories, and positive cognitive or affective responses to the area. Participants rarely drew polygons to represent neighborhoods, and their activities were often located outside of self-identified boundaries. Their views on the "home neighborhood" construct did not predict their strategies for defining spatial boundaries. Overall, the results suggest that adolescents hold idiosyncratic perspectives on their neighborhood spaces, shaped by their experiences and social identities, that have implications for place-based research and initiatives targeting youth.

What Differences Do They See? Using Mixed Methods to Capture Adolescent Perceptions of Neighborhood Contexts.

Recent neighborhood research emphasizes the importance of individuals' perceptions of their neighborhoods, as well as expands the definition of "neighborhood" to include the different contexts encountered during routine daily activities (Coulton et al., 2013; Kwan, 2012). The present study uses qualitative interviews, sketch mapping, and survey data to explore adolescents' experiences of different neighborhoods within their activity space. Participants included 55 racially diverse youth aged 11-19 (M = 14.64, SD = 2.33) who resided in low-income neighborhoods in a small city in the Midwest. The majority reported spending time in multiple self-defined neighborhoods, noting significant differences between neighborhoods on collective efficacy, street code, and on participant-generated dimensions. Self-defined neighborhoods did not correspond to Census tracts, and Census indicators were not associated with youth's perceptions (e.g., collective efficacy, street code). Youth spent time in neighborhoods that differed significantly on multiple Census indicators of structural disadvantage, though within-individual differences tended to be small in magnitude. Type of routine activity was largely not predictive of distance traveled from home, though some findings suggest youth were more likely to cross neighborhood boundaries to engage in structured activities compared to different unstructured activities. Implications for neighborhood research and interventions are discussed.

Structure, coercive control, and autonomy promotion: A comparison of fathers' and mothers' food parenting strategies.

This study explored differences in mothers' and fathers' food parenting strategies, specifically coercive control, structure, and autonomy promotion, and whether parenting style and parental responsibility for food parenting related to the use of these strategies. Parents of children aged 2.5-7.5 years (N = 497) reported about their parenting practices and food parenting strategies. Parenting style accounted for the majority of the variance in food parenting. Fathers were more authoritarian than mothers. Authoritarian and permissive parenting practices were related to more coercive strategies. Mothers reported more food parenting responsibility. Responsibility was related to less coercive practices and more autonomy promotion and structure.

Structure-based feeding strategies: A key component of child nutrition.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the relationship between structure, autonomy promotion, and control feeding strategies and parent-reported child diet. PARTICIPANTS: Participants (N = 497) were parents of children ages 2.5 to 7.5 recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk. This sample was a Caucasian (79%), educated sample (61% college graduates) with most reports from mothers (76%). METHODS AND MEASURES: Online survey including measures of parent feeding strategies and child dietary intake. RESULTS: Use of structure-based feeding strategies explained 21% of the variance in child consumption of added sugar, 12% of the variance in child intake of added sugar from sugar-sweetened beverages, and 16% of the variance in child consumption of fruits and vegetables. Higher unhealthy food availability and permissive feeding uniquely predicted higher child added sugar intake and child consumption of added sugar from sugar-sweetened beverages. Greater healthy food availability uniquely predicted higher child fruit and vegetable intake. CONCLUSIONS: and Future Directions: In Caucasian educated families, structure-based feeding strategies appear to be a relatively stronger correlate of parent-reported child intake of added sugar and fruits and vegetables as compared to autonomy promotion and control feeding strategies. Longitudinal research may be needed in order to reveal the relationships between autonomy promotion and control feeding strategies with child diet. If future studies have similar findings to this study's results, researchers may want to focus more heavily on investigating the impact of teaching parents stimulus-control techniques and feeding-related assertiveness skills on child dietary intake.