Alienation and drinking motivations among adolescent females.

188 female and 140 male 9th–12th graders in a small Wyoming community completed measures of alienation, drinking motivations, and positive social and personal psychological functions of drinking. Among females, problem-related drinking motivations correlated positively with alienation, whereas social-convivial motivations correlated negatively with this attribute. No comparable correlations were found among the males. It is concluded that important sex differences in the dynamics of problem drinking are worthy of additional study. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Genetic risk factors for disordered eating in adolescent males and females.

The etiologic role of genetic and environmental factors on disordered eating was examined in a sample of 15- to 17-year-old female–female, male–male, and opposite-sex twin pairs. Also assessed was whether a single factor is underlying 3 facets (body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, bulimia) of disordered eating, including the possible importance of sex differences. Univariate model-fitting analyses indicated that genetic factors are more important for girls and environment more important for boys for body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness. A multivariate common factor analysis indicated that a single factor accounted for the association among these 3 facets of disordered eating in both sexes. However, only 50% of the genetic risk for this factor is shared between the sexes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prioritizing education about condom use among sexually active adolescent females

Many factors have been shown to influence condom use among adolescents, including negative experiences with prior use, risk-taking behaviors, perception of condom efficacy, and self-efficacy in obtaining and using condoms. In order to help prioritize topics for clinic-based education, this study attempted to determine which factors are most significantly associated with planned condom use. A 53-item questionnaire was administered to sexually active females presenting consecutively to an adolescent clinic. Two hundred ethnically and religiously diverse patients, with a median age of 17 years, participated. Median age at first sexual encounter was 15. Median number of lifetime partners was 2, with a median of 1 partner in the last year. Past condom use was reported by 88%, with 22% always, 38% usually, and 26% occasionally using condoms. Only 47% had used condoms during their most recent sexual encounter. Negative experiences with condom use were reported by 85%. Only 54% stated they would definitely use condoms during their next sexual encounter. Intent to use condoms in the future was significantly associated with both past use and fear of HIV infection. Intent was not significantly associated with most prior negative experiences, perception of condom efficacy in preventing STDs and pregnancy, or other perceived benefits of condom use. Thus, this novel approach to prioritizing topics revealed that health education among a clinic-based population should emphasize condom use from the onset of sexual activity, as well as its efficacy in preventing HIV infection.     

Disordered eating, weight dissatisfaction and dieting in relation to unwanted childhood sexual experiences in a community sample

A study was conducted to examine the relationships among eating pathology, weight dissatisfaction and dieting, and unwanted sexual experiences in childhood. An unselected community sample of 201 young and 268 middle-aged women were administered questionnaires assessing eating behaviors and attitudes, and past and current sexual abuse. Results showed differential relationships among these factors for the two age cohorts: for young women, past sexual abuse predicted weight dissatisfaction, but not dieting or disordered eating behaviors, whereas for middle-aged women, past abuse was predictive of disordered eating, but not dieting or weight dissatisfaction. Current physical or sexual abuse was also found to be predictive of disordered eating for the young women. These findings underscore the complexity of the relationships among unwanted sexual experiences and eating and weight pathology, and suggest that the timing of sexual abuse, and the age of the woman, are important mediating factors.     

Thinness and eating expectancies predict subsequent binge-eating and purging behavior among adolescent girls.

One's expectancies for reinforcement from eating or from thinness are thought to represent summaries of one's eating-related learning history and to thus influence the development of binge-eating and purging behavior. In a 3-year longitudinal study, the authors tested this hypothesis and the hypothesis that binge eating also influences subsequent expectancy development. The authors used trajectory analysis to identify groups of middle school girls who followed different trajectories of binge eating, purging, eating expectancies, and thinness expectancies. Initial eating and thinness reinforcement expectancies identified girls whose binge eating and purging increased during middle school, and expectancies differentiated girls who began these problem behaviors from girls who did not. Initial binge-eating scores differentiated among eating expectancy developmental trajectories. The onset of most behaviors can be understood in terms of learned expectancies for reinforcement from these behaviors. The same model can be applied to the risk for eating disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interactive effects of menarcheal status and dating on dieting and disordered eating among adolescent girls.

The effects of menarcheal status and opposite-sex socializing (mixed-sex social activity, dating, and noncoital sexual involvement with boyfriends) on dieting and disordered eating among early adolescent girls are examined. In all, 89 12- and 13-year-old girls reported their menarcheal status, dieting behaviors and attitudes, and involvement in dating and other heterosocial activities. Girls who are more involved in mixed-sex social activities are more likely to exhibit disordered eating tendencies, and this effect is stronger among girls who have experienced menarche. Also, girls who are dating and are more physically involved with boyfriends are more likely to report dieting and disordered eating than are their peers. An interaction between dating and menarcheal status was observed in the prediction of dieting and disordered eating, with dating more strongly linked to dieting and disordered eating among girls who have recently experienced menarche. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consent for adolescent vaccination: issues and current practices

To identify and describe implementation of state-level informed consent requirements for adolescent immunizations, current state regulations on informed consent and immunization services for children and adolescents were identified through the LEXIS-NEXIS legal data base. Regulations were coded for informed consent characteristics, consent exemptions, and current immunization requirements. State immunization program directors, project managers, and state hepatitis coordinators were surveyed to catalogue how regulations were implemented and document new policies or regulations under consideration. Parental consent for immunizations is standard practice in 43 states. Most states (n = 34) require separate consent for each injection when more than one injection is required to complete a vaccination, but only for a limited number of medical procedures. Nine states allow adolescents to self-consent for hepatitis B vaccination in sexually transmitted disease clinics and family planning clinics as part of the exemption for minors' receipt of sexual health services. Most states require consent for vaccination services provided to adolescents. Parental consent requirements are a potential barrier to vaccinating adolescents in some settings.     

Prevalence of weight reducing and weight gaining in adolescent girls and boys.

Surveyed the prevalence of weight reducing and weight gaining in 1,373 high school students. 63% of the girls and 16.2% of the boys reported being on weight-reducing regimens; 9.1% of the girls and 28.4% of the boys were trying to gain weight. Most female reducers and male gainers were already normal weight. Whites and Hispanics were more likely to be reducing, whereas Blacks were more likely to be gaining. Exercise and moderate caloric reduction were most popular for weight reducing, and a small but significant number were regularly using fasting, vomiting, laxatives, and appetite suppressants. The rate of weight reducing in female high school adolescents has increased significantly since similar surveys of American youths 20 yrs ago. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of early menarche to depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, and comorbid psychopathology among adolescent girls.

This prospective study tested whether early menarche partially accounts for the increases in depression, eating pathology, substance abuse, and comorbid psychopathology that occur among adolescent girls, with structured interview data from a community sample (N?=?496). Early menarche (prior to 11.6 years) was associated with elevated depression, substance abuse, and "any" disorder but did not confer increased risk for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder. Although there was significant comorbidity across all three classes of pathology, early menarche was associated only with comorbid depression and substance abuse. Results provide partial support for the assertion that early menarche is a general risk factor for psychopathology among adolescent girls but suggest that this risk may not apply to certain disorders and that the effects are modest in size. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological distress as a mediator of the relation between perceived maternal parenting and normative maladaptive eating among adolescent girls.

Burgeoning research on the adolescent (e.g., middle-school) years suggests that this is a particularly vulnerable period for the development of maladaptive eating patterns. Prior research has established a link between perceptions of maternal parenting practices and adolescent onset of problematic eating behaviors. The authors hypothesized that adolescents' internalized psychological distress accounts for this relation, and they tested this hypothesis via a longitudinal, mediational study of 73 adolescent girls followed from 6th to 8th grade. Results of structural equation modeling using latent variables supported the hypothesis, identifying a time-ordered process that emphasizes the significance of the mother-adolescent relationship and the importance of targeting counseling interventions at improving parenting practices and helping adolescents to regulate negative affect as a means of preventing the development of maladaptive eating. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Overvaluation of shape and weight in binge eating disorder.

The excessive influence of shape or weight on self-evaluation--referred to as overvaluation--is considered by some a central feature across eating disorders but is not a diagnostic requirement for binge eating disorder (BED). This study examined shape/weight overvaluation in 399 consecutive patients with BED. Participants completed semistructured interviews, including the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE; C. G. Fairburn & Z. Cooper, 1993) and several self-report measures. Shape/weight overvaluation was unrelated to body mass index (BMI) but was strongly associated with measures of eating-related psychopathology and psychological status (i.e., higher depression and lower self-esteem). Participants were categorized via EDE guidelines into 1 of 2 groups: clinical overvaluation (58%) or subclinical overvaluation (42%). The 2 groups did not differ significantly in BMI or binge eating frequency, but the clinical overvaluation group had significantly greater eating-related psychopathology and poorer psychological status than the subclinical overvaluation group. Findings suggest that overvaluation does not simply reflect concern commensurate with being overweight but is strongly associated with eating-related psychopathology and psychological functioning and warrants consideration as a diagnostic feature for BED. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disordered eating and substance use in an epidemiological sample: II. Associations within families.

This study investigated familial associations of disordered eating (DE) with substance use and substance use disorders (SU/SUDs) in a community-based sample of 620 adolescent girls, their 310 mothers, and 299 fathers. Female participants completed structured interviews of lifetime anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and SU/SUD; daughters also completed a self-report measure of current DE attitudes and behaviors. Fathers completed interviews assessing lifetime SUD. Evaluation of independent and combined associations of mothers' bulimic eating disturbance (ED) and parents' SUDs with daughters' DE/EDs and SU/SUDs revealed links between mothers' ED and daughters' DE but no relationship between EDs and SU/SUDs across generations. These results suggest that these problems are not cross-transmitted within families and suggest that the addiction model of eating disorders may be simplistic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social facilitation of eating among friends and strangers

In a series of studies to investigate the basic structural features and characteristics of the biological apatite crystals using a transmission electron microscope, we examined the ultrastructure of the human enamel, dentin, and bone crystals through the cross and longitudinal sections at near atomic resolution. Subsequently, using the same approach, we have been able to directly examine the images of the lattice imperfections in the crystal lattices of the human tooth and bone crystals, and the images of the fusion of the crystals. In this research, furthermore, using transmission and scanning electron microscopes, we examined the dissolution of the enamel crystals caused by the carious enamel from the same viewpoint. The material used for the observation of the dissolution of the enamel crystals was obtained from the region which corresponds to the middle layer of the enamel at the portion near the wall of a carious cavity caused by the fissure caries on the occlusal surface of the lower first molars. Small cubes of the materials used for the observation by transmission electron electron microscope were fixed in glutaraldehyde and osmium tetroxide and embedded in epoxy resin using the routine methods. The ultrathin sections were cut with a diamond knife without decalcification. The sections were examined with the HITACHI H-800H type transmission electron microscope operated at 200 kV. Each crystal was observed at an initial magnification of 300,000 times and at a final magnification of 10,000,000 times and over. The material used for the observation by the scanning electron microscope was the fractured surface obtained from the carious enamel. The fractured carious enamel surfaces were coated with carbon and gold and observed with the HITACHI HHS-2R type scanning electron microscope operated at 25 kV. The crystals were observed at a final magnification of 50,000 times. As a result, we have confirmed that the dissolution of the enamel crystals caused by a caries occurs in the units of "hexagonal cell". We sincerely believe that the electron micrographs shown in this report are the first to show the images of the dissolution of the enamel crystals caused by a caries at near atomic resolution.     

Serum leptin and body weight in females with anorexia and bulimia nervosa

In this study we hypothesized that there is a correlation between serum leptin levels and body mass indices within patients with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa during a twelve weeks' course of in-patient treatment. We evaluated leptin levels weekly in female in-patients with anorexia (n = 17) or bulimia nervosa (n = 18). Only patients with anorexia nervosa were therapeutically encouraged to gain weight throughout the treatment episode. For the whole cohort, body mass indices and serum leptin levels were highly correlated upon admission (r = 0.89, p < 0.001). The median intra-individual correlation in the anorexia group was higher than in the bulimia group (0.63 and 0.39, respectively). The intra-individual correlations were higher in those anorexia nervosa patients who showed increments of their body mass index within the observation span. This dynamic aspect is important specifically in patients with anorexia nervosa during therapeutically induced weight gain.     

Parenting practices and adolescent depressive symptoms in Chinese American families.

This study examined parenting practices and adolescent depressive symptoms among Chinese Americans. First, confirmatory factor analyses revealed that self-reported parenting practices by mothers and fathers and adolescent perception of parenting practices loaded adequately on three subscales: Inductive Reasoning, Monitoring, and Harsh Discipline. Second, parents' depressive symptoms were related to disrupted parenting practices, which, in turn, were significantly related to the negative evaluation of these behaviors by the adolescents. Adolescents' perceptions of such parenting practices were significantly associated with their depressive symptoms. Third, the relationships were robust even after parental income, education, and generation status were statistically controlled. Overall, the relationships between parenting practices and adolescent depressive symptoms among Chinese Americans seemed to echo those found among European Americans. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trajectories of family management practices and early adolescent behavioral outcomes.

Stage–environment fit theory was used to examine the reciprocal lagged relations between family management practices and early adolescent problem behavior during the middle school years. In addition, the potential moderating roles of family structure and of gender were explored. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to describe patterns of growth in family management practices and adolescents' behavioral outcomes and to detect predictors of interindividual differences in initial status and rate of change. The sample comprised approximately 1,000 adolescents between ages 11 years and 15 years. The results indicated that adolescents' antisocial behaviors and substance use increased and their positive behavioral engagement decreased over time. As adolescent age increased, parental knowledge of their adolescent's activities decreased, as did parental rule making and support. The level and rate of change in family management and adolescent behavioral outcomes varied by family structure and by gender. Reciprocal longitudinal associations between parenting practices and adolescent problem behavior were found. Specifically, parenting practices predicted subsequent adolescent behavior, and adolescent behavior predicted subsequent parenting practices. In addition, parental warmth moderated the effects of parental knowledge and rule making on adolescent antisocial behavior and substance use over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Binge eating as a function of restraint and weight classification.

Attempted to replicate and expand the preliminary results of J. Polivy (1976), which showed a trend for low-restrained Ss to eat more when they thought they had eaten a low-calorie preload and high-restrained Ss to eat more when they thought they had consumed a high-calorie preload. The present study examined the amount of ice cream consumed by 20 underweight, 20 normal-weight, and 20 overweight college-age females after half had been told that they had previously drunk a very high-calorie drink and the other half had been instructed that the drink was very low calorie. The Ss were also divided by their score on an eating habits questionnaire into restrained (i.e., dieter) and unrestrained (i.e., nondieter) groups. Results show that those Ss who were restrained ate twice as much ice cream when they had been told that the preload drink was high calorie, as compared with the "told-low-calorie" condition. Research and therapeutic implications for weight-loss maintenance are discussed. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Planning to lose weight: Randomized controlled trial of an implementation intention prompt to enhance weight reduction among overweight and obese women.

Objective: The trial investigates the effects of augmenting an established weight-reduction intervention with implementation intention prompts. Design: Fifty-five overweight or obese women (ages 18 to 76 years; body mass index from 25.28 to 48.33) enrolled in a commercial weight reduction program were randomly assigned to either an implementation intention prompt or a control condition. Data were collected twice, with a time gap of 2 months. Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was participants' change in weight and body mass index from preintervention to follow-up. Results: Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant Time = Condition interaction: On average, implementation intention prompt participants lost 4.2 kg (95% confidence interval = 3.19, 5.07), whereas control participants lost 2.1 kg (95% confidence interval = 1.11, 3.09). The change in frequency of planning mediated the effects of the intervention on weight and body mass index change. Conclusion: Among obese or overweight women participating in a commercial weight loss program, those who learn to form implementation intentions can achieve greater weight reduction. Planning facilitation is a key mechanism explaining enhanced weight loss generated by implementation intention formation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)