The impact of fitspiration comments on adult women's body dissatisfaction and negative affect.

The present study examined the impact of writing different types of comments in response to fitspiration (fitness inspiration) images on women's body dissatisfaction and negative affect. Women (N = 256) from the general population (age range: 18 to 49) were randomized to write one of three types of comments on the same fitspiration images: appearance (comment on the woman's appearance), functionality (comment on what the woman's body can do), or background (comment on the image background). Participants completed measures of state body dissatisfaction and negative affect pre- and post-exposure and measures of appearance comparison and functionality appreciation post-exposure. After controlling for pre-body dissatisfaction due to a baseline difference among groups, there was no difference among groups in body dissatisfaction at post-exposure. Negative affect decreased from pre- to post-exposure across all groups, but there was no difference by group or interaction by time and group. The background group reported lower state appearance comparison than the appearance group. There were no group differences in functionality appreciation. Our results suggest that commenting on image backgrounds might decrease appearance comparison relative to making appearance comments and that writing comments on appearance, functionality, or the background in response to fitspiration may be beneficial for mood.

Dissemination of a dissonance-based body image promotion program for mothers and daughters in church settings: A controlled pilot study of Reclaiming Beauty.

This proof of concept, controlled pilot study expands on existing dissonance-based body image promotion programs by testing a modified version of the Body Project for 136 mothers and daughters aged 11-18 years old in church settings called Reclaiming Beauty. Mothers (n = 30) and their daughters (n = 35) who participated in Reclaiming Beauty were compared to mothers (n = 32) and daughters (n = 39) in a waitlist, assessment-only, control group on body image, eating psychopathology, and risk factor measures (thin-ideal internalization, physical appearance comparison) at pre-, post-, and 6-month-follow-up assessments. Intent-to-treat, multilevel modeling indicated that mothers and daughters in the Reclaiming Beauty group experienced significant improvement in body appreciation, body shape concerns, eating psychopathology, thin-ideal internalization, and physical appearance comparison over a six-month period compared to control participants. Changes in thin-ideal internalization and appearance comparison did not predict body image and eating psychopathology at follow-up. Baseline levels of body satisfaction did not moderate the effect of the program, except for its effect on body shape concerns. Findings provide preliminary support for delivering a dissonance-based body image promotion intervention to mothers and their daughters and the feasibility of leveraging the mother-daughter relationship as well as delivering interventions in church settings.

Assessing the need for pre-mental health competencies in undergraduate education: insights from graduate faculty surveys.

Introduction: Despite the value of clinical competencies for masters- and doctoral-level practitioners as well as the tremendous variability in preparedness for graduate school and at graduation from graduate school, there are no competency standards for students pursuing mental healthcare careers prior to graduate study. This study aimed to identify potential pre-mental health competency standards for undergraduates pursuing mental healthcare careers. Methods: Faculty at masters and doctoral programs in a range of mental healthcare fields were asked to rate their expectations of entry-level competence and the perceived entry-level competence of their first-year, bachelor-level graduate students on 42 sub-competencies derived from the APA's Competency Benchmarks in Professional Psychology. Results: Faculty of both masters (N = 320) and doctoral (N = 220) programs reported high expectations of first-year graduate students for 11 competency categories (professional values/attitudes; relationships; management-administration; interdisciplinary systems; individual/cultural diversity; advocacy; scientific knowledge and methods; reflective practice, self-assessment, and self-care; ethical standards and policy; supervision, and research/evaluation) and 25 sub-competencies. Faculty in masters programs rated students as not meeting their expectations in 28 sub-competencies, while faculty in doctoral programs rated students as not meeting their expectations in 17 sub-competencies. Faculty recommended internships as well as improvement in writing, counseling skills, professional behavior, diversity, equity, and inclusion, cultural competence and humility, research methods, reading research, connecting research to practice, and education about the different mental healthcare professions. Discussion: Our findings suggest that students would benefit from intentional training in multiple pre-mental health competency areas at the undergraduate level to facilitate graduate-level training in mental healthcare and to better prepare our future clinicians.

Evidence-based policy solutions to prevent eating disorders: Do disclaimer labels on fashion advertisements mitigate negative impact on adult women?

Exposure to media images portraying the thin ideal is associated with increased body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in women. Organizations and policymakers globally have proposed polices requiring warning or disclaimer labels on altered images. Research examining efficacy of disclaimer labels is growing but has largely overlooked adult women. This study extends current research by exploring novel disclaimer labels in a sample of adult women. Women (N = 872) recruited via Amazon's MTurk were randomly assigned to view 20 fashion advertisements with one of five labels: 1) no label; 2) general-digital-alteration label; 3) health-warning label; 4) specific-weight label; or 5) facial features/cosmetic label. Results revealed a significant increase in body dissatisfaction after advertisement exposure, irrespective of label group. Women who viewed advertisements with labels and recalled the labels reported lower body satisfaction and intention to purchase products compared to those who viewed advertisements with no label. Age appears to play an important role in how disclaimer labels affect women. Younger women of color appear to be more negatively impacted by the facial features/cosmetic label than older women of color. Findings are consistent with previous studies indicating no protective effect of disclaimer labels suggesting the need for more effective preventive strategies.

Psychometric properties of the Farsi version of the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (F-EPSI) among Iranian University men and women.

BACKGROUND: Limited research has validated eating pathology assessments in Iranian men and women. The purpose of the current study was to translate and validate a Farsi version of the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (F-EPSI) in Iranian university students. METHODS: Men (n = 279) and women (n = 486) completed questionnaires including the F-EPSI. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated that the F-EPSI had an acceptable fit to the data and supported the eight-factor model. The scale was partially invariant across genders. Men reported higher scores on Excessive Exercise and Muscle Building subscales, and women reported higher scores on Body Dissatisfaction and Restricting subscales. The F-EPSI subscales had good 5- to 6-month test-retest reliability. The F-EPSI demonstrated convergent validity with clinical impairment, eating pathology, and body mass index (BMI). Finally, individuals scoring above the Clinical Impairment Assessment (CIA) cutoffs reported higher scores on the F-EPSI subscales, further supporting convergent validity of the scale. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that the F-EPSI will enable researchers to examine eating pathology symptoms among men and women in Iran.

The Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (EPSI) assesses eight subscales, including muscle building, excessive exercise, body dissatisfaction, binge eating, cognitive restraint, purging, restricting, and negative attitudes toward obesity. This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Farsi version of the EPSI (F-EPSI) among Iranian college men and women. The university students filled out the EPSI and other self-report assessments of eating pathology and related impairment. The results provide support for the F-EPSI's 8-factor structure among Iranian university students. The F-EPSI was found to be comparable across genders. Convergent validity as well as internal consistency of the F-EPSI were supported. Furthermore, this study supports the reliability of the F-EPSI subscales over time.

The validation of a Farsi version of the Clinical Impairment Assessment (F-CIA) among Iranian adolescent boys and girls.

PURPOSE: Although some studies have been conducted to examine general psychosocial impairment in Iran, there is no research to date on clinical impairment secondary to disordered eating in Iranian adolescents. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Farsi version of the Clinical Impairment Assessment (F-CIA) among Iranian adolescents. METHODS: A total of 1112 adolescents (ageM [SD] = 15.55 [1.59], body mass index [zBMI] M [SD] = - 0.00 [1.0]; 54.6% girls) were recruited from four cities (Tehran [Capital], Tabriz [North-Western], Kurdistan [West], and Rasht [North]) in Iran. After translation and back-translation procedures, the F-CIA, Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), and Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II) were administered to adolescents. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), measurement invariance, independent samples t tests, Pearson correlation, chi-square tests, and internal consistency to test validity and reliability. RESULTS: CFA indicated that F-CIA demonstrated good fit to the data and supported a three-factor model. The scale was invariant across gender and zBMI. The F-CIA had good internal consistency (αs = 0.76-0.93) and positive associations (rs = 0.13-0.62; p < 0.001) with zBMI, disordered eating symptoms, and binge/purge symptoms. We found no gender differences across mean scores on the F-CIA, but adolescents with higher zBMI reported higher scores on the F-CIA relative to those with lower zBMIs. Finally, adolescents scoring above CIA cutoffs reported higher zBMI, disordered eating outcomes, and depression. CONCLUSION: Findings suggested that the F-CIA is a reliable and valid measure of clinical eating disorder-related impairment in Iranian adolescents. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III; Evidence obtained from well-designed observational study, including case-control design for relevant aspects of the study.

The effect of misgendering on body dissatisfaction and dietary restraint in transgender individuals: Testing a Misgendering-Congruence Process.

OBJECTIVE: Despite research findings that transgender individuals have higher rates of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating than their cisgender peers, reasons for greater eating pathology remain unclear. We propose a Misgendering-Congruence Process by which being misgendered (i.e., labeled a gender other than that with which one identifies) could lead transgender individuals to feel greater incongruence between their bodies and internal identities, which in turn leads to body dissatisfaction and efforts to bring one's body in line with one's identified gender by engaging in weight and shape control behaviors such as dietary restraint. METHOD: One hundred and thirty transgender individuals completed measures of misgendering frequency, transgender congruence, body dissatisfaction, and dietary restraint. RESULTS: Mediation analyses provided preliminary support for the Misgendering-Congruence Process when conducted with the overall sample as well as with transgender subgroups: transgender women (n = 41), transgender men (n = 42), and nonbinary transgender individuals (n = 47). DISCUSSION: Social recognition of transgender people's gender identities appears to play a unique role in their body satisfaction and restrained eating behaviors.

The validation of a Farsi version of the Loss of Control over Eating Scale (F-LOCES) among Iranian adolescent boys and girls.

OBJECTIVE: Few studies have been conducted on disordered eating in Iran, with limited research on loss of control (LOC) eating in adolescents. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the validation of a Farsi version of the Loss of Control over Eating Scale (F-LOCES) among Iranian adolescents. METHOD: Participants were 504 boys (Age mean = 15.35; Body Mass Index [zBMI] mean = 0.01) and 607 girls (Age mean = 15.71; zBMI mean = -0.01) who completed a battery of questionnaires including the F-LOCES. RESULTS: Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and bi-factor model indicated that the F-LOCES had good fit to the data and supported a three-factor model. Additionally, the scale was invariant across all the groups. Girls had higher scores than boys on the behavioral subscale. Additionally, individuals with elevated eating pathology and zBMI endorsed higher LOC eating. As expected, the F-LOCES scores were positively associated with zBMI, disordered eating symptoms, and depression, and negatively associated with self-esteem. DISCUSSION: Findings suggest that the F-LOCES is a reliable and valid measure of LOC eating in Iranian adolescents. The availability of the F-LOCES will enable researchers to examine the developmental trajectories, predictors, and outcomes of LOC eating.

Dissemination of a dissonance-based body image promotion program in church settings: A preliminary controlled pilot study with adult women.

Adult women report significant body dissatisfaction yet are often overlooked in body image promotion programs. Although few venues afford opportune settings for intervening with adult women, the church serves as a regular meeting place for many in the South of the United States. This study tested a dissonance-based body image program, Reclaiming Beauty (RB), adapted for adult women in church settings. Six groups (n = 30) were led by two trained church leaders (peer-led) and three groups (n = 21) were led by a trained peer leader and a researcher (researcher-co-led). RB participants, aged 30-77 years (M = 53.1 ± 12.7), completed assessments pre-intervention, immediately post-intervention, and 6 months post-intervention. Waitlist-controls (n = 31) completed assessments at time intervals consistent with intervention participants. RB participants reported significantly decreased thin-ideal internalization, body surveillance, and eating psychopathology at post-intervention and at 6 months post-intervention relative to controls. RB participants also reported significantly increased body satisfaction immediately post-intervention relative to controls, but this was not significant at 6 months post-intervention. Peer-led groups outperformed researcher-co-led groups on body surveillance at 6 months, but RB conditions did not otherwise differ. Our findings provide preliminary support for the dissemination of a culturally-modified dissonance-based body image program to adult women in church settings.

A longitudinal study of weight and shape concerns and disordered eating groups by gender and their relationship to self-control.

PURPOSE: Weight/shape concerns and disordered eating are common among young adults. Minimal research has examined these variables longitudinally by gender and in connection to self-control. The present study examined the level of weight/shape concerns and disordered eating at the end of the first and fourth year of college separately by gender and explored differences in self-control. METHODS: Participants included 394 female and 157 male undergraduates (N = 551; 40% non-white) who were categorized into three groups using a cluster analysis by gender: low weight/shape concerns and low disordered eating (LowWS-LowDE group), high weight/shape concerns and low disordered eating (HighWS-LowDE group), and high weight/shape concerns and high disordered eating (HighWS-HighDE group). RESULTS: Approximately, 62% of women and 54% of men reported having weight/shape concerns and/or disordered eating at the end of the first year of college, and around 51% of women and 44% of men reported having weight/shape concerns and/or disordered eating at the end of the fourth year. Results indicated that those in the HighWS-HighDE group had lower self-control compared to those in the LowWS-LowDE group at the end of the first and fourth year in both women and men. Women, but not men, who worsened in weight/shape concerns and/or disordered eating over time also reported significantly decreased self-control from their first to their fourth year. CONCLUSION: Findings support the role of self-control in the maintenance of weight/shape concerns and disordered eating for both women and men. LEVEL III: Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.

What happens when you compare yourself to a model eating a cheeseburger? An experiment testing the impact of models promoting calorie-dense foods on beliefs about weight maintenance, body satisfaction, and purchase intent.

BACKGROUND: Ads depicting models promoting calorie-dense foods and beverages are ubiquitous and no known research has examined their effects on consumers. Drawing from social comparison theory, we hypothesized that participants who viewed ads with models (versus without models) would be more likely to rate models and less likely to rate themselves as able to consume the calorie-dense foods regularly and still maintain their weight/shape. We also hypothesized that participants who viewed ads with models (versus without models) would report more body dissatisfaction and, consistent with consumer research, a greater intention to purchase the product. METHODS: Participants (N = 168) were randomly assigned to view food or beverage ads with models or without models and completed self-report measures. RESULTS: Participants who viewed ads without models were more likely to rate themselves and most people as able to consume calorie-dense foods regularly and maintain their weight/shape and reported a greater intention to purchase the product. Consistent with our hypotheses, participants who viewed ads with models reported increased body dissatisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that consumers' perceptions of their own and others' abilities to regularly consume calorie-dense foods and maintain their weight/shape change based on whether (or not) the calorie-dense foods are promoted by a model. Our findings reveal the nuanced negative effects of calorie-dense food ads with and without models and give insight into the psychological and potential physical health consequences that food ads can have on consumers.

Community-Based Prevention Programs for Disordered Eating and Obesity: Updates and Current Limitations.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the status of community-based disordered eating and obesity prevention programs from 2014 to 2019. RECENT FINDINGS: In the last 5 years, prevention programs have found success in intervening with children and parental figures in wellness centers, physical activity centers, childcare centers, workplaces, online, and over-the-phone through directly reducing disordered eating and obesity or by targeting risk factors of disordered eating and obesity. Community-based prevention programs for disordered eating and programs targeting both disordered eating and obesity were scarce, highlighting the critical need for the development of these programs. Qualities of the most effective programs were those in which parents and children were educated on physical activity and nutrition via multiple group-based sessions. Limitations of current prevention programs include few programs targeting high-risk populations, a dearth of trained community members serving as facilitators, inconsistent reporting of adherence rates, and few direct measurements of disordered eating and obesity, as well as few long-term follow-ups, precluding the evaluation of sustained effectiveness.

Food cultures and aging: a qualitative study of grandparents' food perceptions and influence of food choice on younger generations.

OBJECTIVE: To explore food perceptions among grandparents and understand the influence of these perceptions on food choice for the younger generations in their family. DESIGN: Qualitative methodology, thematic analysis of the transcripts from fourteen focus groups. SETTING: Grandparents in the southern region of the United States. SUBJECTS: Participants were fifty-eight Black, Hispanic, and White grandparents, predominantly women (72%), ranging in age from 44-86 years (mean age = 65·4 (sd 9·97) years). RESULTS: Grandparents' perceptions related to personal food choice were related to health issues and the media. Grandparents' perceived influence on their children's and grandchildren's food choices was described through the themes of proximity and power (level of influence based on an interaction of geographic proximity to grandchildren and the power given to them by their children and grandchildren to make food decisions), healthy v. unhealthy spoiling, cultural food tradition, and reciprocal exchange of knowledge. CONCLUSION: Our results highlight areas for future research including nutrition interventions for older adults as well as factors that may be helpful to consider when engaging grandparents concerning food decisions for younger generations to promote health. Specifically, power should be assessed as part of a holistic approach to addressing dietary influence, the term 'healthy spoiling' can be used to reframe notions of traditional spoiling, and the role of cultural food tradition should be adapted differently by race.

Psychometric properties of the eating loss of control scale among postbariatric patients.

BACKGROUND: Assessing the complexities of eating behaviors in patients who undergo bariatric surgery is challenging. The Eating Loss of Control Scale (ELOCS), a measure of loss-of-control (LOC) eating, has not yet been evaluated psychometrically among bariatric surgery patients. OBJECTIVE: This study presents a psychometric examination of the ELOCS in postoperative bariatric surgery patients. SETTING: Academic medical center in the United States. METHODS: One hundred seventy-one postbariatric treatment-seeking adults (82.5% female, 52.4% white) with LOC eating completed the ELOCS and measures assessing eating psychopathology and mood. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test fit for a 1-factor solution. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) examined alternative factor structures. RESULTS: CFA revealed poor fit for a 1-factor structure (χ2 = 220.375, degrees of freedom = 135, P < .001, comparative fit index = .917, Tucker-Lewis index = .906, root mean square error of approximation = .067). EFA data suggested an alternative factor solution (χ2 = 157.76, degrees of freedom = 118, P = .009, comparative fit index = .965, Tucker-Lewis index = .955, root mean square error of approximation = .047). Factor 1 (α = .88) reflected behavioral aspects and factor 2 (α = .92) reflected cognitive/emotional aspects of LOC eating. Bivariate correlations with measures of eating and other psychopathology suggested good construct validity for factors. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest possible differences in the construct validity of the ELOCS among postbariatric patients. The 1-factor solution previously supported in clinical and nonclinical groups demonstrated poor fit. EFA revealed a possible alternative 2-factor solution that aligns with emerging literature, suggesting that LOC eating presents differently in postbariatric patients. Researchers interested in LOC eating among bariatric patients should consider use of the ELOCS and testing the proposed alternative factor structure.

Warning labels on fashion images: Short- and longer-term effects on body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms, and eating behavior.

OBJECTIVE: Fashion warning labels that caution readers about digitally altered images have been recommended and adopted by several countries to prevent body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. This study investigated the short- and longer-term influence of fashion warning labels on affect, body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms, and snack consumption using a randomized-controlled experiment. METHOD: Female undergraduates (n = 118) were randomized to view and rate responses to fashion images either with or without a warning label. They then consumed snacks and completed questionnaires. Sixty-four participants (54%) completed follow-up online surveys asking them to view and rate new fashion images with or without warning labels once per week for 4 weeks. Primary outcomes were affect, body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms, and kilocalories consumed. RESULTS: Overall, fashion warning labels had no short-term effects on affect, body dissatisfaction, or kilocalories consumed in the lab. However, individuals who reported engaging in restrictive eating consumed fewer kilocalories when exposed to advertisements with warning labels (M = 170.33, SD = 120.78) versus no labels (M = 286.46, SD = 166.30), p = .008. Warning labels also had no protective effects after repeated exposure over 4 weeks on affect or eating disorder symptoms, and significantly increased appearance orientation (p = .001). DISCUSSION: Warning labels on media images are unlikely to be an effective policy tool to prevent negative affect, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorder symptoms, and, in some cases, may exacerbate these concerns.

The moderating role of self-compassion on weight and shape concerns and eating pathology: A longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: The present study employed a longitudinal design to examine the moderating role of self-compassion in the relationship between weight/shape concerns and the outcomes of eating pathology and stress in a diverse college student population. METHOD: Participants were 765 students who completed measures of self-compassion, weight/shape concerns, eating pathology, and stress over their first 2 years of college. We tested whether self-compassion attenuated the relation between weight/shape concerns at the beginning of college and eating pathology, and stress later in college. RESULTS: For the first year of college, self-compassion significantly moderated the relationship of weight/shape concerns and eating pathology. For participants who were low in self-compassion, there was a stronger relationship between weight/shape concerns and disordered eating; whereas, for individuals high in self-compassion, there was a weaker relationship between weight/shape concerns and disordered eating. However, these findings did not replicate for the second year of college. Self-compassion also significantly moderated the relationship between weight/shape concerns and stress for the first year of college, though the relationship was complex and warrants further research. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that high self-compassion may reduce the likelihood that undergraduate students with weight/shape concerns will engage in disordered eating behavior in the first year of college. They also highlight the influence of self-compassion on general stress.

Organivore or organorexic? Examining the relationship between alternative food network engagement, disordered eating, and special diets.

The alternative food network (AFN) refers to connections between consumers, producers, and sellers of organic, local/regional, "sustainably grown," and other artisanal and niche food not produced by the conventional system (Goodman & Goodman, 2007). Alternative foods are often viewed as the "right" consumption choice while conventional counterparts are positioned as ethically "wrong." A moral positioning of food, avoidance of certain food groups, and anxiety elicited by food consumption choices bears similarities to disordered eating behaviors (Hesse-Biber, Leavy, Quinn, & Zoino, 2006), including a newly proposed eating syndrome, orthorexia nervosa (ON; Vandereycken, 2011; Zamora, Bonaechea, Sánchez, & Rial, 2005). This study examines the relationship among engagement in the AFN, disordered eating behaviors, and special diets. We hypothesized that individuals with higher AFN engagement would be more likely report disordered eating behaviors as well as to follow a special diet. Adult men and women (N = 284) completed a series of measures assessing engagement in the AFN and eating behaviors. We found that individuals with higher AFN engagement were more likely to report ON tendencies but not significantly likely to engage in other disordered eating behaviors. Individuals following a special diet were significantly more engaged in the AFN, more likely to report ON tendencies, and more likely to self-report an eating disorder. Our findings suggest that the most engaged consumers participate in the AFN for the purported benefits reaped by society and the environment and not to moderate their consumption or mask disordered eating behaviors. Future research should prospectively explore associations between AFN engagement, ON and disordered eating behaviors, and special diets as well as consider the utility of incorporating AFN engagement into existing disordered eating prevention programs.

Family histories of anxiety in overweight men and women with binge eating disorder: A preliminary investigation.

OBJECTIVE: A preliminary examination of the significance of family histories of anxiety in the expression of binge eating disorder (BED) and associated functioning. METHODS: Participants were 166 overweight patients with BED assessed using diagnostic interviews. Participants were administered a structured psychiatric history interview about their first-degree relatives (parents, siblings, children) (N=897) to determine lifetime diagnoses of DSM-IV anxiety disorders and completed a battery of questionnaires assessing current and historical eating and weight variables and associated psychological functioning (depression). RESULTS: BED patients with a family history of anxiety disorder were significantly more likely than BED patients without a family history of anxiety disorder to have lifetime diagnoses of anxiety disorders and mood disorders but not substance use disorders. A family history of anxiety was not significantly associated with timing or sequencing of age at onset of anxiety disorder, binge eating, dieting, or obesity, or with variability in current levels of binge eating, eating disorder psychopathology, or psychological functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Although replication with direct interview method is needed, our preliminary findings suggest that a family history of anxiety confers greater risk for comorbid anxiety and mood disorders but is largely unrelated to the development of binge eating, dieting, or obesity and unrelated to variability in eating disorder psychopathology or psychological functioning in overweight patients with BED.

Development and validation of the eating loss of control scale.

Recurrent objective bulimic episodes (OBE) are a defining diagnostic characteristic of binge eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN). OBEs are characterized by experiencing loss of control (LOC) while eating an unusually large quantity of food. Despite nosological importance and complex heterogeneity across patients, measurement of LOC has been assessed dichotomously (present/absent). This study describes the development and initial validation of the Eating Loss of Control Scale (ELOCS), a self-report questionnaire that examines the complexity of the LOC construct. Participants were 168 obese treatment-seeking individuals with BED who completed the Eating Disorder Examination interview and self-report measures. Participants rated their LOC-related feelings or behaviors on continuous Likert-type scales and reported the number of LOC episodes in the past 28 days. Principal component analysis identified a single-factor, 18-item scale, which demonstrated good internal reliability (α = .90). Frequency of LOC episodes was significantly correlated with frequency of OBEs and subjective bulimic episodes. The ELOCS demonstrated good convergent validity and was significantly correlated with greater eating pathology, greater emotion dysregulation, greater depression, and lower self-control but not with body mass index. The findings suggest that the ELOCS is a valid self-report questionnaire that may provide important clinical information regarding experiences of LOC in obese persons with BED. Future research should examine the ELOCS in other eating disorders and nonclinical samples.

Interpersonal problems and developmental trajectories of binge eating disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to explore associations between specific interpersonal constructs and the developmental progression of behaviors leading to binge eating disorder (BED). METHOD: Eighty-four consecutively evaluated, treatment-seeking obese (body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2)) men and women with BED were assessed with structured diagnostic and clinical interviews and completed a battery of established measures to assess the current and developmental eating- and weight-related variables as well as interpersonal functioning. RESULTS: Using the interpersonal circumplex structural summary method, amplitude, elevation, the affiliation dimension, and the quadratic coefficient for the dominance dimension were associated with eating- and weight-related developmental variables. The amplitude coefficient and more extreme interpersonal problems on the dominance dimension (quadratic)-that is, problems with being extremely high (domineering) or low in dominance (submissive)-were significantly associated with a younger age at onset of binge eating, BED, and overweight as well as accounted for significant variance in age at binge eating, BED, and overweight onset. Greater interpersonal problems with having an overly affiliative interpersonal style were significantly associated with and accounted for significant variance in a younger age at diet onset. DISCUSSION: Findings provide further support for the importance of interpersonal problems among adults with BED and converge with recent work highlighting the importance of specific types of interpersonal problems for understanding heterogeneity and different developmental trajectories of individuals with BED.