Examining the roles of self-compassion and resilience on health-related quality of life for individuals with Multiple Sclerosis.

BACKGROUND: There are over 400,000 individuals living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in the U.S. These individuals experience unpredictable relapses of disabling conditions and poorer quality of life than the general population. Recent literature suggests self-compassion and resilience may improve wellness in this population. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the roles of self-compassion and resilience on perceived health-related quality of life for individuals with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) using mediation analysis. METHODS: Two hundred fifty-nine adults with MS from MS advocacy, support, exercise, and education groups around the United States participated in the study. Participants' self-compassion, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and resilience were assessed using self-report measures. A simple mediation analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between the independent variable, self-compassion, the depended variable, HRQoL, and the mediating variable, resilience. RESULTS: Results showed a significant direct effect between self-compassion and health-related quality of life (ß = 0.49, p < 0.0001, CI = 0.37-0.61), as well as an indirect relationship through resilience (ß = 0.18 p < 0.0001, CI: 0.17, 0.47). CONCLUSION: These results contribute to the theoretical knowledge of how self-compassion influences HRQoL in this population. For individuals with MS, engaging in self-compassion may provide a strategy to cope with debilitating conditions and reframe perceptions of their health. Additionally, increasing resilience may help individuals overcome stressful and traumatic events and experience quality of life with disability. Self-compassion and resilience are both modifiable constructs that can be targeted by programs seeking to improve overall wellness.

An examination of sex differences in relation to the eating habits and nutrient intakes of university students.

OBJECTIVES: To examine sex differences in eating habits and nutrient intakes and explore whether eating habits mediate the effects of sex on nutrient intakes and whether sex moderates the effects of eating habits on nutrient intakes. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of eating habits and food-intake frequency in a convenience sample of college students. RESULTS: Male students (n = 172) consumed a higher energy content from fat, a larger amount of fiber, and more fruits and vegetables, and engaged less often in various healthful eating habits (eg, reading food labels, having breakfast) than female students (n = 316). Sex predicted the 3 dietary nutrient intakes partially through eating habits. Interactions between sex and eating habits were nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Results reinforce that university students' nutrient intakes are less than ideal. Women and men may have different needs for nutritional improvement. However, the effects of health promotion concerning eating habits may be similarly effective between the sexes.

Weighing in on NBC's The Biggest Loser: governmentality and self-concept on the scale.

Previous analyses (i.e., Bernstein & St. John, 2006; Sender & Sullivan, 2008) of the television show The Biggest Loser have detailed its negative presentation of the obese body, potential consequences for viewers, and its role as a technology of governmentality. However there has been little exploration of how audience members conceptualize and enact the messages communicated in the show within these intricate frameworks. The current research used information from semistructured interviews with 40 dedicated viewers to capture the salient meanings they ascribed to The Biggest Loser within the themes of governmentality and self-concept. Overall, the group experienced the program as a transformative, entertaining, and inspirational event that produced little change in their exercise behavior. Thus, the role of reality television in creating healthy behavior change is potentially limited.

The impact of an experiential education program on the self-perceptions and perceived social regard of physical education students.

This study investigated the effectiveness of an 8-month Team Building through Physical Challenges (TBPC; Glover & Midura, 1992) program on the self-perceptions and perceived social regard of middle school physical education students (N = 1802). Data were analyzed using multilevel analyses where midpoint and final evaluations were conducted separately. Results revealed that at the midpoint evaluation, students in the experimental and control conditions were not different on any of the subscales assessed. At the end of the program, students in the experimental condition, compared with those in the control condition, showed significantly higher scores on 6 of the 10 subscales assessed and the effect sizes were medium to very large. The findings support the effectiveness of the TBPC program in creating positive psychological outcomes for students in a field-based setting.

Explaining the self-conception of perceived conduct using indicators of moral functioning in physical education.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether four indicators of moral functioning in physical education (moral judgment, moral reason, moral intention, and prosocial behavior) predicted the self-conception of perceived conduct. Participants were 204 male (n = 87) and female (n = 117) physical education students in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. For the male students, the four indicators of moral functioning were found to be highly related, and, so, no subsequent analyses were conducted. For the female students, a standard multiple regression analysis revealed that the indicators of moral functioning accounted for 21% of the variance in perceived conduct. Discussion of the results highlights the value of considering in combination the moral functioning and self-concept literatures.