Parent Intention to Participate in an Online Intervention to Enhance Health Behavior Change Among Youth Treated with Psychotropic Medication Who are Overweight or Obese: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Youth with mental health disorders (MHD), particularly those who take psychotropic medications, are at increased risk of being overweight or obese (OW/OB) when compared to typical youth. Parents are important resources for interventions addressing OW/OB. However, parents of youth with MHD may face challenges that require interventions designed to address their needs. Prior to investing research funding in the development of interventions for this group, research is needed to understand factors associated with parents' decisions to enroll in these programs. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) provided a framework for examining parents' salient beliefs, direct attitudes, and intention to enroll in a hypothetical online healthy lifestyle intervention for their youth (ages 11-17) with OW/OB and treated with psychotropic medication. Parents who were enrolled in the study (n = 84) completed demographic questionnaires and a TPB questionnaire which was constructed for this study. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the direct attitude (i.e., attitude toward the behavior, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control) questions generally supported the three-factor model (i.e., RMSEA = .07, 90% CI .03-.11, p = .18; CFI = .96, SRMR = .06). Results from a multiple regression analysis demonstrated that direct attitudes predicted parent intention to participate in an online healthy lifestyle intervention for this sample of youth accounting for 84% of variance. In this preliminary study, the TPB appears to be a promising framework for understanding direct attitudes associated with parent intentions toward intervention participation in this population of youth. Interventions for parents of youth with OW/OB who are prescribed psychotropic medication should consider addressing these direct attitudes to improve intention.

Trauma cognitions as intervening variables in the relation of chronic child abuse and thwarted interpersonal needs.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic childhood trauma is consistently linked to negative mental health outcomes in adulthood, but research exploring specific paths of risk remains limited. The aims of the current study were to examine trauma cognitions as intervening variables in the relation of chronic victimization with perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness, variables implicated in transdiagnostic risk for psychopathology. METHOD: Semistructured interviews were used to identify university students reporting exposure to systematic physical and/or sexual violence prior to age 18 (n = 101) versus those experiencing other Criterion-A events (n = 254). Trauma cognitions (self, world, and self-blame) and thwarted interpersonal needs (burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness) were measured using scores from the posttrauma cognitions inventory (PTCI) and the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-10 (INQ-10). Path models in these cross-sectional data were evaluated to assess the indirect effects of chronic abuse on burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness through self, world, and blame cognitions. RESULTS: An initial model indicated associations of chronic victimization on self (p = .044) and world (p = .005) scales of the PTCI and a unique effect of self-beliefs on INQ-10 burdensomeness (p < .001). An indirect effect of abuse on burdensomeness through self-beliefs was supported (p = .050). A second model identified direct effects of PTCI self (p < .001) and world (p < .001) scores on thwarted belongingness as well as an indirect effect of chronic abuse on belongingness through world beliefs (p = .026). CONCLUSIONS: While typically assessed within the context of posttraumatic stress disorder, results suggest that shifts in fundamental beliefs about the self and the world may have more general impacts on perceptions of burdensomeness and belonging in survivors of early, systematic abuse. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).