Valence and arousal-based affective evaluations of foods.

We investigated the nutrient-specific and individual-specific validity of dual-process models of valenced and arousal-based affective evaluations of foods across the disordered eating spectrum. 283 undergraduate women provided implicit and explicit valence and arousal-based evaluations of 120 food photos with known nutritional information on structurally similar indirect and direct affect misattribution procedures (AMP; Payne et al., 2005, 2008), and completed questionnaires assessing body mass index (BMI), hunger, restriction, and binge eating. Nomothetically, added fat and added sugar enhance evaluations of foods. Idiographically, hunger and binge eating enhance activation, whereas BMI and restriction enhance pleasantness. Added fat is salient for women who are heavier, hungrier, or who restrict; added sugar is influential for less hungry women. Restriction relates only to valence, whereas binge eating relates only to arousal. Findings are similar across implicit and explicit affective evaluations, albeit stronger for explicit, providing modest support for dual-process models of affective evaluation of foods.

Dissonance-based eating disorder program reduces cardiac risk: A preliminary trial.

OBJECTIVE: We conducted a randomized, controlled preliminary trial to examine the effect of a dissonance-based eating disorder program on eating disorder symptoms and cardiac risk indices in a community sample of women with subclinical and clinical symptoms (N = 47), examining the efficacy of the program in both the indicated prevention and treatment realms. METHOD: Eating disorder symptoms, body mass index, and biomarkers of cardiac risk were examined in dissonance and assessment-only control conditions at baseline, postintervention, and 2-month follow-up. Specifically, we assessed mean R wave amplitude, QT interval length, vagal tone (high frequency spectral power of heart rate variability), and sympathetic tone (low/high frequency spectral power ratio) via electocardiography (ECG) at each assessment period. RESULTS: We predicted a statistically significant 2 (condition: control, dissonance) × 3 (time: baseline, postintervention, 2-month follow-up) interaction in the mixed factorial MANOVA results. Results confirmed this hypothesis. Eating disorder symptoms and cardiac risk indices decreased significantly among participants in the dissonance condition at postintervention and 2-month follow-up compared with baseline. CONCLUSION: Results provide support for the efficacy of a dissonance-based program in the reduction of eating disorder symptoms and cardiac risk indices among women with subclinical and clinical eating disorder symptoms. Findings establish the efficaciousness of this dissonance-based approach in the indicated prevention and treatment realms and establish its efficacy in reducing cardiac risk indicators. (PsycINFO Database Record

Examining trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in court-mandated intimate partner violence perpetrators.

There is a dearth of empirical literature characterizing the various forms of trauma experienced by men court mandated to intervention for intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. We investigated the potentially traumatic events (PTEs) experienced by men (N = 217) court mandated to enroll in a 41-week group IPV perpetrator program, as well as the relationships between PTEs, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and IPV. Findings indicated that 94% of participants reported experiencing at least 1 PTE in their lifetime, and participants experienced an average of over 6 out of 14 types of PTEs. A significant association was found between the number of PTEs experienced and frequency of self-reported perpetration of physical and psychological IPV. PTSD symptoms were also related to both forms of IPV perpetration and mediated the relationship between experiencing PTEs and psychological IPV perpetration. Our findings have implications for understanding how trauma and PTSD symptoms may increase risk for IPV and for developing trauma-informed interventions for this population.

Unhealthy how? Implicit and explicit affective evaluations of different types of unhealthy foods.

The present study examines the utility of distinguishing nutritional characteristics in implicit and explicit affective evaluations of foods, both nomothetically and idiographically. To this end, we employ indirect and direct versions of the affect misattribution procedure (AMP; Payne, Cheng, Govorun, & Stewart, 2005) to assess affective evaluations of foods that vary along dimensions of added fat and added sugar. Normatively, both added fat and added sugar are associated with more positive affective evaluations. Idiographically, both hunger and external eating are associated with more positive fat-based affective evaluations. Patterns of results were similar across implicit and explicit affective evaluations, inconsistent with a dual-process conceptualization of affective evaluation. Overall, the current work supports the utility of continuing to employ more stringently characterized image stimuli with known nutritional properties, as well as structurally similar measures of implicit and explicit affective evaluations in future work.

Disordered eating links to body-relevant and body-irrelevant influences on self-evaluation.

We investigated eating- and weight-related correlates of self-evaluation influences (SEIs) and examined the extent to which such SEIs can be both over- and undervalued and the extent to which measurement strategy affects SEIs. A female undergraduate sample (n = 549) completed 3 measures of SEI importance and questionnaires assessing disordered eating (DE), body mass index (BMI), and depression. SEI measures included Likert scale, rank ordering, and pairwise forced choice; a subset (n = 62) also completed the Shape- and Weight-Based Self-Esteem Scale (SAWBS). Only rank ordering, forced choice, and SAWBS constrain choices among SEIs, such that prioritizing one SEI necessarily deprioritizes another, which reflects real-world restrictions on individuals' allotment of time and energy (e.g., spending hours exercising daily necessarily reduces time available for other activities). By any measure, women with DE overvalue body shape and weight. The constraining measures reveal systematic undervaluation of intelligence and achievement among women with DE and an enhanced effect of DE on the overvaluation of weight and on the undervaluation of being a good person among those with higher BMI. Depressed women's self-evaluations overemphasize appearance and underemphasize interpersonal relationships. Self-evaluations of women with DE are marked by both over- and undervaluation of relevant SEIs; the overvaluation of shape and weight in DE may be associated with costs. Future use of constraining measures, such as forced choice or rank ordering, may enhance our understanding of both over- and underemphasized SEIs among women with DE.

Maladaptive dependency schemas, posttraumatic stress hyperarousal symptoms, and intimate partner aggression perpetration.

This study examined the associations between maladaptive dependency-related schemas, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) hyperarousal symptoms, and intimate-partner psychological and physical aggression in a sample of court-referred men (N = 174) participating in a domestic-abuser-intervention program. The men were largely African American; average age was 33.5 years. The extent to which hyperarousal symptoms moderated the association between dependency schemas and aggression was also examined. Maladaptive dependency-related schemas were positively associated with severe psychological, and mild and severe physical aggression perpetration. Hyperarousal symptoms were positively associated with mild and severe psychological aggression, and mild physical aggression perpetration. Multiple regression analyses showed a significant interaction for mild physical aggression: For those with high levels of hyperarousal symptoms, greater endorsement of maladaptive dependency schemas was associated with the perpetration of aggression (B = 0.98, p = .001). For those with low levels of hyperarousal symptoms, there was no association between dependency schemas and aggression (B = 0.04, ns). These findings suggest that focusing on problematic dependency and PTSD-hyperarousal symptoms in domestic-abuser-intervention programs may be helpful, and that examining related variables as possible moderators between dependency schemas and intimate aggression would be a fruitful area for future research.

Intimate partner and general aggression perpetration among combat veterans presenting to a posttraumatic stress disorder clinic.

This study examined rates and correlates of intimate partner and general aggression perpetration among 236 male combat veterans seeking services in a Veteran's Affairs posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) clinic. Approximately 33% of those in an intimate relationship reported perpetrating partner physical aggression in the previous year, and 91% reported partner psychological aggression. Comparable rates were found for general aggression perpetration among partnered and nonpartnered veterans. PTSD symptoms as well as symptoms of depression were associated with aggression across subgroups and forms of aggression, and PTSD symptoms reflecting arousal and lack of control were generally the strongest predictor of aggression. Findings indicate a need for additional aggression screening and intervention development for this population, and highlight the targeting of heightened arousal and lack of behavioral control in aggression interventions.