The mediating effect of eating self-efficacy on the relationship between emotional arousal and overeating in the treatment-seeking obese.

In this study, we tested the proposition that the emotion-based eating of obese individuals is mediated by the effects of emotional arousal tendencies on brittle dieting self-restraint. Our indices of emotion-aroused eating, overeating, and brittle restraint were derived from a set of measures administered to 632 female and 254 male participants in a residential weight control and lifestyle change program. Mediation analyses indicated that (a) the relationship between positive emotion and overeating was entirely mediated by restraint tendencies and (b) the relationship between negative emotion eating and overeating was only partially mediated by brittle restraint. These findings held for both males and females. The results are discussed in relation to the viability of the psychosomatic hypothesis for understanding the relationship between emotions and overeating.

Relationship between serum bactericidal activity and serogroup-specific immunoglobulin G concentration for adults, toddlers, and infants immunized with Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C vaccines.

A new meningococcal group C-CRM(197) conjugate vaccine (MnCC; Meningitec) has been evaluated in multiple clinical trials in the United States and most recently has been approved for routine administration in the United Kingdom. Meningococcal serogroup C (MnC)-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in pre- and postimmunization sera obtained from healthy U.S. adults, toddlers, and infants were quantitated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and by an antibody-dependent, complement-mediated serum bactericidal assay (SBA). Serogroup-specific IgG antibody (micrograms per milliliter) in adults immunized either with the quadrivalent polysaccharide (A, C, Y, and W-135) vaccine or with MnCC showed a strong correlation (r = 0.848 and 0.934, respectively) by linear regression analysis with SBA. Sera from infants immunized with the MnCC (n = 30) and an age-matched unimmunized control group (n = 15) were also analyzed. Linear regression analysis of serum bactericidal and IgG ELISA data from sera obtained at 2 months of age (preimmunization) showed no correlation; however, a high degree of correlation was observed at time points after two (r = 0.877) and three (r = 0.951) immunizations, where significant rises in anti-MnC polysaccharide antibodies occurred relative to the age-matched control group. Infants previously primed with 3 doses of MnCC were given a booster dose of conjugate vaccine at 12 to 15 months of age. The correlation coefficient of ELISA to SBA for combined pre- and postbooster data was r = 0.836 (n = 48 pairs). In conclusion, increases in serum bactericidal activity in immunized adult, toddler, and infant populations were found to correlate very well with increases in serogroup-specific IgG concentrations, whereas the correlation between these two assays in nonimmunized 2-month-old infants was poor. Characterizing the relationship between these methods is important for understanding the significance of antigen-specific antibody concentrations relative to vaccine performance and protection from disease.

The gender specificity of emotional, situational, and behavioral indicators of binge eating in a diet-seeking obese population.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the unique gender correlates of binge eating severity in a diet-seeking population. METHOD: This sample consisted of 288 self-admitted patients enrolled in a residential weight loss program between 1996 and 1997. Subjects were administered several questionnaires including (a) the Binge Eating Scale, (b) the Beck Depression Inventory, (c) the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, (d) 5-point scales of eating related foci, and (e) 7-point scales of subject confidence in controlling their eating under various circumstances. Data were analyzed in terms of stepwise regression analyses. RESULTS: Regression results revealed that while men and women share some common predictors of binge eating severity, there are also some gender-specific correlates. Men in our sample were prone to binge eat because of negative emotions (i.e., depression and anger), while binge eating severity for women in our sample was most strongly related to diet failure and tests of moderate eating. DISCUSSION: The strength of the distinctive gender-specific regressions for binge eating severity suggests that the problems of binging in obese males and females are derivatives of differential sex role expectations. This interpretation and clinical implications are the focus of the discussion.

The comorbidity of depression and eating dysregulation processes in a diet-seeking obese population: a matter of gender specificity.

OBJECTIVE: To explore gender differences in depression vulnerability among an obese, treatment-seeking population and to discern those components of eating-related phenomena that discriminate the depression-comorbid obese from their noncomorbid counterparts. METHOD: This sample consisted of 1,184 self-admitted patients enrolled in a residential weight loss program between 1990 and 1995. Subjects were administered several questionnaires including (a) the Beck Depression Inventory, (b) 5-point scales of eating-related foci, and (c) 7-point scales of subject's confidence in their eating control under various circumstances. Data were analyzed via analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and stepwise regression. RESULTS: Greater depression was accompanied by more disruptive, dysregulatory eating tendencies, and stronger inclination to engage in affectively and socially disrupted eating. Regression results revealed gender-specific predictors of comorbid depression. For obese females, negative-emotion disrupted eating and binge-purge behaviors were prominent predictors of depression. For males, eating induced by experiences of social or physical inadequacy and fasting relating to eating behaviors were the depression-relevant variables. DISCUSSION: These results are discussed in terms of their theoretical implications for gender-mediated models of obesity-depression comorbidity, and in terms of their clinical significance.

A longitudinal evaluation of the speech perception capabilities of children using multichannel tactile vocoders.

Thirty children (mean age 6:11, range 4:3 to 11:0, SD = 2:3) with profound hearing impairments were followed longitudinally over a 3-year period and evaluated every 6 months with a battery of speech perception tests. The battery spanned several levels of perception, from pattern perception to open-set word recognition. The children were all enrolled in a single full-day educational program that used multichannel tactile aids in addition to hearing aids. Testing was conducted in Auditory alone (A), Tactile plus Auditory (TA), Tactile alone (T), and in one instance, Tactile plus Auditory plus Vision (TAV) conditions because the primary interest of the work was the relationship between auditory and tactile training on perception. Results indicated that children's performance improved with age, with the oldest children achieving open-set speech recognition in the TA condition. Performance in the TA condition generally exceeded that in both A and T conditions. Outcomes were compared to those from two studies in the literature for children of similar age with cochlear implants and tactile aids on the same tests. Results suggest that performance of children who had cochlear implants for an average of 21 months was similar to TA and TAV performance of children in the present study who had tactile experience over a similar period.