The Fat Acceptance Scale: Development and initial validation.

The fat acceptance movement arose to combat the widespread stigmatization of fatness and fat people through personal liberation and political activism. Support for the movement and its underlying ideology has grown rapidly over the past three decades; however, a self-report measure of fat acceptance with strong psychometric properties has not yet been developed. The current studies aimed to develop the Fat Acceptance Scale (FAS), a measure of fat-accepting beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that was designed to be appropriate for use with people of all sizes. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis (n = 266) and confirmatory factor analysis (n = 267) supported a three-factor solution assessing fat activism, health beliefs related to weight, and interpersonal respect for fat individuals. In Study 2 (N = 291), FAS scores predicted reactions to fictitious fat women after controlling for an established measure of antifat attitudes. Data from a subsample of 47 participants indicated moderate-to-high stability of the FAS over 4 weeks. In Study 3 (N = 156), health service psychology doctoral students' FAS scores predicted their reactions to a fictional fat psychotherapy client after controlling for antifat attitudes. Taken together, results provided preliminary evidence for the validity and reliability of FAS scores and suggest that the FAS may be a valuable tool for researchers, clinicians, and advocates interested in fat acceptance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Within-person predictors and outcomes of daily sexual orientation self-presentation among plurisexual women.

Research suggests that plurisexual individuals face ongoing decisions about whether and how accurately to present their sexual orientation to others, in part because of stereotypes and negative attitudes specific to plurisexuality. This study tested a within-person model of theoretical predictors and outcomes of self-presentational accuracy in a sample of 165 cisgender plurisexual women. Participants completed online surveys to report on situations involving self-presentation decisions as they occurred over a 14-day period. Participants also completed nightly surveys assessing facets of well-being. Self-presentational accuracy varied substantially from day to day. Several contextual and relational factors, including acceptance and rejection cues, interaction partners' sexual orientation, and interpersonal closeness, predicted self-presentational accuracy, both directly and through the mediator of anticipated acceptance. Self-presentational accuracy predicted daily life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect through the mediator of social support. Finally, exploratory analyses underscored the relevance of goals related to authenticity, closeness, privacy, communication, educating others, and safety in self-presentation decisions. Discussion highlights the importance of context in identity management decisions among plurisexual women and the impact of these decisions on day-to-day well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Feeling offended by clients: The experiences of doctoral student therapists.

Ten doctoral student therapists (8 White, 5 female) in 1 counseling psychology doctoral program located in the Mid-Atlantic United States were interviewed for approximately 1 hour each about their experiences of feeling offended by a client during an individual psychotherapy session. Interview data were analyzed with consensual qualitative research (CQR). Trainee therapists typically felt offended related to their sociocultural identities (e.g., being a woman, LGBTQ+, racial-ethnic minority), felt frozen after the events and uncertain about how to respond, wished they had handled the events differently, and struggled when clients expressed opinions or beliefs that ran counter to their own values. Trainees had difficulty maintaining an empathic, nonjudgmental therapeutic stance where they could both value the client and maintain their own sense of integrity and beliefs about social justice and multiculturalism. Implications for training, practice, and research are provided. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

From last supper to self-initiated weight loss: Pretreatment weight change may be more important than previously thought.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the association between pretreatment and during-treatment weight change, as well as differences in self-regulation between those who gain weight, remain weight stable, and lose weight pretreatment. METHODS: Data from the first 6 months of a behavioral weight loss study were used. Participants (n = 283) were weighed at two assessment points (screening visit and baseline) prior to the start of treatment and at every treatment session. Participants were divided into those who gained weight, remained weight stable, or lost weight between the screening visit and the first treatment session. RESULTS: Pretreatment weight change was not significantly associated with during-treatment change. Weight change from the screening visit to month 6 was significantly different by category, with losses of 11% and 7% for those who lost and gained weight pretreatment, respectively. Weight change from first treatment session to month 6 was not different by category. Poorer self-regulation was associated with pretreatment weight gain and better self-regulation with pretreatment weight loss. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment weight change may not relate to success during behavioral weight loss treatment. Researchers should carefully consider when the "baseline" assessment takes place to reduce bias introduced by pretreatment weight change. Poorer self-regulation may place individuals at risk for weight gain prior to treatment.

The role of negative reinforcement eating expectancies in the relation between experiential avoidance and disinhibition.

OBJECTIVES: Eating-related disinhibition (i.e., a tendency to overeat in response to various stimuli) is associated with weight gain and poorer long-term weight loss success. Theoretically, experiential avoidance (i.e., the desire or attempts to avoid uncomfortable internal experiences), may predispose individuals to developing negative reinforcement eating expectancies (i.e., the belief that eating will help to mitigate distress), which in turn promote disinhibition. Such relationships are consistent with an acquired preparedness model, which posits that dispositions influence learning and subsequent behavior. Drawing from this framework, the current study represents the first investigation of relations between negative reinforcement eating expectancies, experiential avoidance (both general and food-specific) and disinhibited eating. In particular, the mediating role of negative reinforcement eating expectancies in the relation between experiential avoidance and disinhibited eating was examined. METHOD: Participants (N=107) were overweight and obese individuals presenting for behavioral weight loss treatment who completed measures of general and food-related experiential avoidance, negative reinforcement eating expectancies, and disinhibition. RESULTS: Experiential avoidance and negative reinforcement eating expectancies significantly related to disinhibition. Furthermore, the relation between experiential avoidance and disinhibition was mediated by negative reinforcement eating expectancies. DISCUSSION: The current study supports an acquired preparedness model for disinhibition, such that the relation between experiential avoidance and disinhibition is accounted for by expectations that eating will alleviate distress. Findings highlight the potential role of eating expectancies in models accounting for obesity risk, and identify negative reinforcement eating expectancies as a potential treatment target for reducing disinhibition.

The relationship of alcohol use to weight loss in the context of behavioral weight loss treatment.

Despite common wisdom that reducing alcohol intake will facilitate weight loss, little research has examined whether participants in behavioral weight loss treatments actually decrease their alcohol intake, or whether reduced alcohol intake relates to weight loss outcomes in this context. This study examined the relationship of alcohol use to energy intake excluding alcohol and to weight in 283 overweight and obese adults participating in a 26-session behavioral weight loss treatment. The majority of participants consumed low to moderate levels of alcohol at baseline. Participants who consumed alcohol at baseline meaningfully reduced their alcohol intake by end-of-treatment. Alcohol use did not relate to weight at baseline or end-of-treatment when controlling for relevant demographic variables, and change in alcohol use was unrelated to weight change in the overall sample during treatment. However, end-of-treatment alcohol intake did relate to end-of-treatment energy intake excluding alcohol. In addition, behavioral impulsivity and change in alcohol intake interacted to predict weight loss, such that decreases in alcohol intake were associated with greater percent weight loss at end-of-treatment for participants with higher levels of impulsivity. Alcohol consumption may lead to overeating episodes, and highly impulsive individuals may be at risk for increased energy intake during or after episodes of drinking. Therefore, the recommendation to reduce alcohol intake in the context of behavioral weight loss treatment seems warranted, particularly for individuals with high levels of impulsivity.

Comparing cognitive outcomes among children with autism spectrum disorders receiving community-based early intervention in one of three placements.

Little comparative research examines which community-based preschool intervention placements produce the best outcomes for which children with autism spectrum disorders. Autism-specific placements can provide intensive evidence-based care; however, inclusion settings provide interaction with typically developing peers, the importance of which is increasingly recognized. This study examined the association between early intervention placement in three settings (autism-only, mixed disability, or inclusive) and cognitive outcomes upon entry into elementary school in an urban school district for 98 preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorders. Initial child and demographic characteristics were similar among the three placements. Controlling for initial cognitive scores and other covariates, cognitive outcomes for children in inclusive placements were better than those of children in mixed disability settings. A consistent pattern emerged that suggested the particular importance of inclusive placements for children with initially greater social impairments, greater adaptive behavior impairments, and at least a baseline level of language skills. Opportunities to interact with typically developing peers may be particularly beneficial for certain subgroups of young children with autism spectrum disorders. The results provide preliminary insight into important child characteristics to consider when parents and providers make preschool early intervention placement decisions.