The impact of fitspiration comments on adult women's body dissatisfaction and negative affect.

The present study examined the impact of writing different types of comments in response to fitspiration (fitness inspiration) images on women's body dissatisfaction and negative affect. Women (N = 256) from the general population (age range: 18 to 49) were randomized to write one of three types of comments on the same fitspiration images: appearance (comment on the woman's appearance), functionality (comment on what the woman's body can do), or background (comment on the image background). Participants completed measures of state body dissatisfaction and negative affect pre- and post-exposure and measures of appearance comparison and functionality appreciation post-exposure. After controlling for pre-body dissatisfaction due to a baseline difference among groups, there was no difference among groups in body dissatisfaction at post-exposure. Negative affect decreased from pre- to post-exposure across all groups, but there was no difference by group or interaction by time and group. The background group reported lower state appearance comparison than the appearance group. There were no group differences in functionality appreciation. Our results suggest that commenting on image backgrounds might decrease appearance comparison relative to making appearance comments and that writing comments on appearance, functionality, or the background in response to fitspiration may be beneficial for mood.

It appears on my feed! Differences in intentionality of fitspiration exposure by weight/shape concerns, disordered eating, and self-compassion in women.

Viewing fitspiration (fitness inspiration) has been found to increase body dissatisfaction and negative affect; however, minimal research has examined how body dissatisfaction and related variables differ based on intentionality of fitspiration exposure. This study's aim was to examine differences in levels of weight/shape concerns, disordered eating, and self-compassion according to type of fitspiration exposure. Participants included 234 female undergraduate students who completed online questionnaires. We created three groups of fitspiration exposure based on their self-report of Instagram exposure: unexposed (neither view nor post fitspiration; n = 43), incidentally exposed (report seeing fitspiration content unintentionally; n = 119), and intentionally exposed (intentionally view and/or post fitspiration; n = 72). Weight/shape concerns, disordered eating, and self-compassion were significantly worse in the intentionally exposed group and incidentally exposed group compared to the unexposed group. These results suggest that exposure to fitspiration, regardless of intention, may be problematic and should be limited.

The impact of a values affirmation intervention on body dissatisfaction and negative mood in women exposed to fitspiration.

Fitspiration (fitness inspiration) exposure on Instagram has been associated with body dissatisfaction, but minimal research has investigated interventions to protect against its negative effects. Values affirmation interventions, in which individuals reflect on a higher value to affirm their sense of personal worth, could be helpful in this context. This online study's aim was to examine the impact of a values affirmation intervention on body dissatisfaction and negative mood in women exposed to fitspiration images from Instagram. Participants consisted of 238 female college students (Age M = 19.89, SD = 1.25) in the U.S. who were randomized into three groups: Values Affirmation Intervention + Fitspiration (described importance of top value and viewed fitspiration images), Control Intervention + Fitspiration (described their daily activities and viewed fitspiration images), and Travel (control-viewed travel images only). State body dissatisfaction and negative mood were completed pre- and post-exposure for all groups. Body dissatisfaction and negative mood significantly increased in the Control Intervention + Fitspiration, did not change in the Values Affirmation Intervention + Fitspiration group, and decreased in the Travel group from pre-exposure to post-exposure. These findings suggest that a values affirmation intervention could partially protect college women from the negative effects of fitspiration exposure.

Gratitude, self-efficacy, and health-related quality of life in individuals with Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a chronic disease that can affect the physical, psychological, and social functioning of an individual. Minimal research has examined the relationship among positive psychological variables such as gratitude and self-efficacy and their relationship with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in this population. Gender analyses have also been limited. The aim of this exploratory, cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship among gratitude, self-efficacy, and HRQOL by gender in individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PD). Participants included 102 individuals with PD (55 women; 42 men; 5 did not report gender) who completed questionnaires on gratitude (Gratitude Questionnaire-6), self-efficacy (General Self-Efficacy Scale), and HRQOL problems (Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39). Although there were no gender differences between gratitude, self-efficacy, or health-related quality of life problems, there were key gender differences in how those variables were related. Gratitude was associated with more HRQOL problems for women than men, whereas self-efficacy was associated with more HRQOL problems for men than women. In addition, self-efficacy emerged as a more important predictor of HRQOL problems for women and men than gratitude. This research could lead to targeted interventions by gender aimed at improving HRQOL in individuals with PD, particularly in building self-efficacy.

General and sport-specific weight pressures as risk factors for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating among female collegiate athletes.

Female collegiate athletes are a high-risk group for disordered eating. Petrie and Greenleaf's (2007) sociocultural model proposes that both general and sport-related weight pressures lead athletes to internalize unrealistic body ideals, ultimately resulting in body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. In this study, we used structural equation modeling to assess general and sport-specific weight pressures in relation to thin- and muscular-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating among 212 female Division I college athletes. General weight pressures from parents, peers, and the media were associated with disordered eating indirectly via thin- and muscular-ideal internalization. In contrast, sport-specific weight pressures were not associated with disordered eating in the full model. After controlling for weight pressures and body ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction was also not associated with disordered eating. These findings suggest that female athletes are vulnerable to weight- and appearance-related pressures from outside the sport context and that the mechanisms underlying the development of disordered eating may differ between athletes and non-athletes.

Lost in translation: College students' knowledge of HIV and PrEP in relation to their sexual health behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a notable public health problem among young adults. The present study examined college students' knowledge of HIV and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in relation to their sexual health behaviors. PARTICIPANTS AND METHOD: Participants included 1516 students who completed questionnaires on actual and perceived HIV knowledge, perceived PrEP knowledge, and sexual health behaviors. RESULTS: While knowledge of HIV was high, knowledge of PrEP was low. Approximately 73% of the sample reported not using condoms at all times, and 41% reported never having been tested for HIV. Women, students at public schools, upper-year students, and students with higher HIV and PrEP knowledge were more likely to get tested for HIV than their counterparts. Knowledge of HIV and PrEP did not relate to condom use. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the need for increased education about PrEP and strategies to help students translate knowledge about HIV to recommended sexual health behaviors.

A longitudinal study of weight and shape concerns and disordered eating groups by gender and their relationship to self-control.

PURPOSE: Weight/shape concerns and disordered eating are common among young adults. Minimal research has examined these variables longitudinally by gender and in connection to self-control. The present study examined the level of weight/shape concerns and disordered eating at the end of the first and fourth year of college separately by gender and explored differences in self-control. METHODS: Participants included 394 female and 157 male undergraduates (N = 551; 40% non-white) who were categorized into three groups using a cluster analysis by gender: low weight/shape concerns and low disordered eating (LowWS-LowDE group), high weight/shape concerns and low disordered eating (HighWS-LowDE group), and high weight/shape concerns and high disordered eating (HighWS-HighDE group). RESULTS: Approximately, 62% of women and 54% of men reported having weight/shape concerns and/or disordered eating at the end of the first year of college, and around 51% of women and 44% of men reported having weight/shape concerns and/or disordered eating at the end of the fourth year. Results indicated that those in the HighWS-HighDE group had lower self-control compared to those in the LowWS-LowDE group at the end of the first and fourth year in both women and men. Women, but not men, who worsened in weight/shape concerns and/or disordered eating over time also reported significantly decreased self-control from their first to their fourth year. CONCLUSION: Findings support the role of self-control in the maintenance of weight/shape concerns and disordered eating for both women and men. LEVEL III: Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.

It's complicated: The relationship between orthorexia and weight/shape concerns, eating behaviors, and mood.

Clean eating (i.e., eating healthy foods largely from nature) has become a recent popular lifestyle trend. Orthorexia is the term used to describe a pathological preoccupation with healthy eating which causes significant impairment in one's life. The present study examined orthorexia symptoms in relation to sample characteristics, weight/shape concerns, eating behaviors, and mood in a general population sample in the United States. Participants included 217 adults who completed surveys on weight/shape concerns, eating behaviors, and mood via the data collection site, Prolific. Men had higher orthorexia symptoms than women. Across all participants, orthorexia was not related to weight/shape concerns but was related to higher weight-related restraint eating behaviors. Orthorexia was not related to stress or negative emotions; however, it was related to having higher well-being. Multiple regressions revealed how the main variables predicted orthorexia symptoms separately by gender. Routine restraint, emotional eating, stress, and well-being were significant predictors of orthorexia for men. Weight/shape concerns, routine restraint, stress, and negative emotion were significant predictors of orthorexia for women. As such, it appears that orthorexia symptomatology has both advantageous and disadvantageous associations and differentially affects men and women.

Positive Psychological Predictors of Psychological Health in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's Disease is associated with depression, anxiety, and stress; however, minimal research has examined positive psychological variables in this population. The present study investigated the relationship between positive psychological variables and psychological health in individuals with Parkinson's Disease. The sample included 140 adults with Parkinson's Disease who completed online surveys on self-compassion, optimism, posttraumatic growth, and psychological health outcomes. Participants reported moderate levels of self-compassion, optimism, and posttraumatic growth. Approximately 50% of participants reported depression and anxiety. Higher self-compassion was a significant predictor of lower depression, anxiety, and stress. Higher optimism was a significant predictor of lower depression and higher life satisfaction. Posttraumatic growth was not a predictor of psychological health. This research suggests that the psychological health of individuals with Parkinson's Disease can be improved, and self-compassion appears to be an important area of focus.

Impact of exposure to counterstereotypic causality of obesity on beliefs about weight controllability and obesity bias.

Individuals with obesity often report experiencing prejudice and discrimination due to their weight. Past research on obesity bias reduction strategies have yielded mixed results. The present study investigated the effectiveness of manipulating information about weight controllability in reducing obesity bias. Participants (N = 350) were randomly assigned into one of three conditions: counterstereotypic, stereotypic, or control. Each condition consisted of four short vignettes. The counterstereotypic condition provided an uncontrollable explanation of obesity (e.g., genetics) in each vignette describing a person with obesity, while the stereotypic condition emphasized lifestyle choices as the main cause of obesity. The control condition included a vignette in which weight was not addressed. Participants completed questionnaires about weight controllability and obesity bias pre- and post-exposure. There was a significant interaction between time and condition on beliefs about weight controllability and obesity bias. Participants in the counterstereotypic condition increased in belief about the uncontrollability of weight and decreased in obesity bias, while participants in the stereotypic condition decreased in belief about the uncontrollability of weight and increased in obesity bias. Obesity bias reduction strategies that utilize information about weight controllability can be effective. However, perpetuating stereotypic causes of obesity can worsen the problem.

The moderating role of self-compassion on weight and shape concerns and eating pathology: A longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: The present study employed a longitudinal design to examine the moderating role of self-compassion in the relationship between weight/shape concerns and the outcomes of eating pathology and stress in a diverse college student population. METHOD: Participants were 765 students who completed measures of self-compassion, weight/shape concerns, eating pathology, and stress over their first 2 years of college. We tested whether self-compassion attenuated the relation between weight/shape concerns at the beginning of college and eating pathology, and stress later in college. RESULTS: For the first year of college, self-compassion significantly moderated the relationship of weight/shape concerns and eating pathology. For participants who were low in self-compassion, there was a stronger relationship between weight/shape concerns and disordered eating; whereas, for individuals high in self-compassion, there was a weaker relationship between weight/shape concerns and disordered eating. However, these findings did not replicate for the second year of college. Self-compassion also significantly moderated the relationship between weight/shape concerns and stress for the first year of college, though the relationship was complex and warrants further research. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that high self-compassion may reduce the likelihood that undergraduate students with weight/shape concerns will engage in disordered eating behavior in the first year of college. They also highlight the influence of self-compassion on general stress.

Trends in Public and Global Health Education among Nationally Recognized Undergraduate Liberal Arts Colleges in the United States.

The prevalence of public health and global health (PH/GH) curricular offerings appear to be increasing in terms of undergraduate curricula and in the context of liberal arts education in the United States. Liberal arts colleges (LACs) represent stand-alone institutions, which exclusively focus on undergraduate education. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of PH/GH study pathways and PH/GH course offerings among LACs. All LACs identified through the US News and World Report (USNWR) college rankings were contacted with a survey about the following: formal majors, minors, or concentrations in PH/GH; independent study (IS) pathways for PH/GH; specific PH/GH courses offered; and the number of students graduating in 2016, 2017, and 2018 with formal and IS degrees in PH/GH. Demographic characteristics of the colleges came from the USNWR database. Almost half (43%) of all LACs in our sample offer a PH/GH major, minor, concentration, or IS pathway. Almost all (90%) colleges offer at least one course in PH/GH. Approximately 2,000 students attending these LACs pursued or are pursuing graduation with majors, minors, or concentrations in PH/GH for the years 2016-2018. The number of students pursuing formal PH/GH programs has increased by 25% from 2016 to 2018. Student interest in public health is rising in U.S. LACs, with more students seeking formal curricular or IS PH degree pathways. Public health messages are prevalent even among institutions without formal programs. Colleges without programs should consider integrating public health into their curriculum.

In-person and online social participation and emotional health in individuals with multiple sclerosis.

PURPOSE: Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) sometimes have barriers to social participation. The advent of the internet has created online support systems for social participation such as websites for individuals with MS. However, minimal research has been conducted about determinants of individuals' in-person and online social participation or how types of social participation contribute to emotional well-being. The present study aims are: (1) to assess the role of access to resources and other determinants as enabling in-person and online social participation, and (2) to analyze the association between social participation and emotional health of individuals with MS. METHODS: The sample consisted of 508 individuals diagnosed with relapsing/remitting or secondary/progressive MS. Data from NARCOMS registry and data from original questionnaire on determinants of social participation and emotional health were merged. Logistic and linear regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Individuals with access to the internet were more likely to participate online with friends (OR 5.47, p < .001) and the community (OR 47.7, p < .001). Individuals who regularly participate in in-person social participation with friends reported being happier (B = .38, p < .001), less depressed (B = -2.01, p < .001), and less anxious (B = -1.21, p < .001) than those who did not. However, there was no evidence of a relationship between emotional health and online social participation. CONCLUSION: Increasing access to in-person social participation with friends will likely have the most positive impact on emotional health. Future research should examine the aspects of online participation that are helpful or harmful.

Coping and posttraumatic growth in women with limb amputations.

While ample research has examined the psychological experiences of men with limb amputations, minimal research has examined the psychological experiences of women with limb amputations. The present study utilizes a qualitative design to examine coping and posttraumatic growth in women with limb amputations. Thirty women completed the posttraumatic growth inventory (PTGI) and provided open-ended responses about coping, social support, discrimination, support groups, and acceptance. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to discern emergent and superordinate themes in qualitative responses. Superordinate themes included social support (friendships/family and community), self-beliefs, resources, physical complications, spirituality, specific strategies, and acceptance. Concerns related specifically to participants' gender identity included appearance and motherhood. Overall, women reported moderate-to-high PTGI scores. The current findings address a void in the literature by illuminating the unique perspective of women with amputations. Future research should use quantitative methodology to expand on our research findings, as well as assess interventions to assist women adjusting to limb loss.

Investigating patient characteristics on pain assessment using virtual human technology.

Pain assessment and treatment is challenging and can be influenced by patient demographic characteristics. Few research studies have been able to specifically examine these influences experimentally. The present study investigated the effects of patients' sex, race, age, and pain expression on healthcare students' assessment of pain and pain-related sequelae using virtual human (VH) technology. A lens model design was employed, which is an analogue method for capturing how individuals use environmental information to make judgments. In this study, decision-making policies were captured at the nomothetic and idiographic level. Participants included 107 healthcare students who viewed 32 VH patients that differed in sex, race, age, and pain expression in an online study. Participants provided ratings on a 100-point scale on the VH pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, negative mood, coping, and need for medical treatment. Nomothetic analyses revealed that female, African-American, older, and high pain expression VH were rated higher than male, Caucasian, younger, and low pain expression VH, respectively, on most of the five ratings. Idiographic analyses revealed detailed findings for individuals' decision-making policies. VH technology and the lens model design were shown to be highly effective in examining individuals' decision-making policies. Pain assessment often varied among individuals based on patient demographic and facial expression cues. This study could serve as a model for future investigations of pain assessment and treatment in healthcare students and providers.

SEX AND RACE DIFFERENCES IN RATING OTHERS' PAIN, PAIN-RELATED NEGATIVE MOOD, PAIN COPING, AND RECOMMENDING MEDICAL HELP.

This study examined the influence of Virtual Humans' (VH) sex and race on participants' ratings of pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, pain-related negative mood, pain coping, and recommendations for medical help. Seventy-five undergraduates viewed a series of VHs and provided computerized visual analog scale (VAS) ratings for the five domains listed above. Mixed model ANOVA analyses showed that participants of both sexes and races viewed female VHs as experiencing greater pain intensity, greater pain unpleasantness, a greater number of pain-related negative moods, poorer coping skills, and a greater need to seek medical help for their pain. Participants of both races rated Caucasian VHs as experiencing more negative moods and poorer coping skills do deal with their pain. The novel computerized VH technology used herein allowed for the standardization of pain expression across sexes and races of VH stimuli, thus allowing us to remove the influence of biases when creating the study stimuli. This is a notable advantage over other research methodologies in this line of inquiry. Several future research and education applications of this VH technology are discussed.

Virtual human technology: patient demographics and healthcare training factors in pain observation and treatment recommendations.

BACKGROUND: Patients' sex, race, and age have been found to affect others' perception of their pain. However, the influence of these characteristics on treatment recommendations from laypersons and healthcare providers is understudied. DESIGN: To address this issue, 75 undergraduates and 107 healthcare trainees (HTs) used a web-based delivery system to view video clips of virtual human (VH) patients presenting with different standardized levels of pain. Subjects then rated the VHs' pain intensity and recommended the amount of medical treatment the VHs should receive. RESULTS: Results indicated that, compared with undergraduates, HTs perceived African Americans and older adults as having less pain but were more willing to recommend medical treatment for these patients than were undergraduate participants. HTs and undergraduates rated female, African American, older, and high-pain-expressing adults as having greater pain intensity than male, Caucasian, younger, and lower-pain-expressing adults. Moreover, they also recommended that female, older, and high-pain-expressing adults receive more medical treatment than male, younger, and lower-pain-expressing adults. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that the characteristics of the VHs and whether the participants were undergraduates or HTs influenced the ratings of pain assessment and treatment recommendations. The findings are consistent with the previous VH literature showing that VH characteristics are important cues in the perception and treatment of pain. However, this is the first study to identify differences in pain-related decisions between individuals who are pursuing healthcare careers and those who are not. Finally, not only does this study serve as further evidence for the validity and potential of VH technology but also it confirms prior research that has shown that biases regarding patient sex, race, and age can affect pain assessment and treatment.

Sex differences in prior pain experience.

UNLABELLED: Sex differences in clinical and experimental pain experiences are well documented. However, there has been little work investigating men's and women's experiences with common painful events. This study examined sex differences in the nature and intensity of common pain experiences. Participants (102 women and 85 men) completed the Prior Pain Experience Questionnaire, which is a 79-item assessment of an individual's pain experience, recalled pain ratings, and imagined pain ratings. Analyses of variance were conducted to assess for sex differences in overall pain experience and pain ratings. Men and women did not have significant differences in the overall number of reported pain experiences or in the overall mean pain rating of those experiences. However, they differed in specific pain events experienced (eg, men experienced concussions more than women) and pain ratings (eg, women rated minor surgery as significantly more painful than men). Individuals who imagined pain events tended to rate them as equally or more painful than individuals who experienced those pain events. PERSPECTIVE: Results of this study demonstrate that men and women have varying types of pain experiences without evidence that the overall pain experience differs between sexes. It was also found that imagined pain ratings are often worse than experienced pain ratings, lending support for the tendency of individuals to catastrophize.

Patient-centered outcome criteria for successful treatment of facial pain and fibromyalgia.

AIMS: To define treatment success from the facial pain and fibromyalgia pain patient perspective across four domains (pain, fatigue, emotional distress, interference with daily activities) through the use of the Patient-Centered Outcomes (PCO) Questionnaire. METHODS: Participants included 53 facial pain (46 women, seven men) and 52 fibromyalgia (49 women, three men) patients who completed the PCO Questionnaire. The PCO assesses four relevant domains of chronic pain: pain, fatigue, distress, and interference in daily activities. Participants rated their usual levels, expected levels, levels they considered successful improvements, and how important improvements were in each of the four domains following treatment. Repeated-measures analyses of variance were performed to determine whether differences existed across domains and across pain groups. RESULTS: Both groups of participants defined treatment success as a substantial decrease in their pain, fatigue, distress, and interference ratings (all approximately 60%). Fibromyalgia participants reported high levels of pain (mean = 7.08, SD = 2.04), fatigue (mean = 7.82, SD = 1.71), distress (mean = 6.35, SD = 2.46), and interference (mean = 7.35, SD = 2.21). Facial pain participants' ratings of these domains were significantly lower for pain (mean = 5.62, SD = 2.38), fatigue (mean = 5.28, SD = 2.64), distress (mean = 4.34, SD = 2.78), and interference (mean = 4.10, SD = 3.06). CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate the high expectations of individuals with facial pain and fibromyalgia regarding treatment of their symptoms. Health care providers should incorporate these expectations into their treatment plans and discuss realistic treatment goals with their pain patients.

Virtual human technology: capturing sex, race, and age influences in individual pain decision policies.

Pain assessment is subject to bias due to characteristics of the individual in pain and of the observing person. Few research studies have examined pain assessment biases in an experimental setting. This study employs innovative virtual human technology to achieve greater experimental control. A lens model design was used to capture decision-making policies at the idiographic and nomothetic level. Seventy-five undergraduates viewed virtual humans (VH) that varied in sex, race, age, and pain expression. Participants provided computerized ratings with Visual Analogue Scales on the VH's pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, negative mood, coping, and need for medical treatment. Idiographic analyses revealed that individuals used pain expression most frequently as a significant cue. Nomothetic analyses showed that higher pain expression VH and female VH were viewed as having higher pain intensity, higher pain unpleasantness, greater negative mood, worse coping, and a greater need to seek medical treatment than lower pain expression VH and male VH, respectively. Older VH were viewed as having worse coping and a greater need to seek medical treatment than younger VH. This innovative paradigm involving VH technology and a lens model design was shown to be highly effective and could serve as a model for future studies investigating pain-related decision making in healthcare providers.