The role of mindful parenting and children's weight in mothers' child-feeding practices.

PURPOSE: This study explores whether mindful parenting dimensions and children's body mass index (BMI) z-scores are associated with mothers' concern about child weight and child-feeding practices (i.e., responsibility for child feeding, pressure to eat, restriction, food reward, and monitoring). METHODS: The sample included 576 mothers of children/adolescents (7-18 years old) with normal weight (BMI = 3-85th percentiles) and 490 mothers of children/adolescents with overweight/obesity (BMI ≥ 85th percentile; 59% undergoing nutritional treatment). Mothers completed the Portuguese versions of the Interpersonal Mindfulness on Parenting Scale and the Child Feeding Questionnaire. RESULTS: Mothers of children with overweight/obesity undergoing nutritional treatment presented lower levels of emotional awareness of the child, nonjudgmental acceptance of parental functioning, and pressure to eat and higher levels of concern about child weight, restriction and monitoring than the other groups presented. Almost all mindful parenting dimensions and children's zBMI were significantly associated with mothers' concern and child-feeding practices. CONCLUSIONS: Mindful parenting dimensions and children's weight seem to be important predictors of mothers' child-feeding practices and of their concern about child weight, which suggests that a mindful approach in parenting might help mothers adopt more adaptive and weight-adapted child-feeding practices. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, case-control analytic study.

How can mindful parenting be related to emotional eating and overeating in childhood and adolescence? The mediating role of parenting stress and parental child-feeding practices.

To explore whether the association between mindful parenting and children/adolescents' disordered eating behaviors (i.e., emotional eating and overeating) may be mediated by parenting stress and parental child-feeding practices. The sample comprised 726 family dyads composed of a mother (79.8%) or a father (20.2%) and their child (7-18 years old), of which 362 children/adolescents had normal weight (BMI = 5-85th percentile) and 364 had overweight or obesity (BMI ≥ 85th percentile) according to the WHO Child Growth Standards. Parents completed self-report measures of mindful parenting, parenting stress, and child-feeding practices, and children/adolescents completed measures of emotional eating and overeating. The path model was estimated in AMOS. Mindful parenting was negatively associated with children's emotional eating through lower levels of parenting stress followed by less frequent use of food as a reward and through less frequent use of food as a reward only. Mindful parenting was linked to children's overeating through lower levels of parenting stress. Moreover, mindful parenting was associated with less frequent use of food as a reward, pressuring to eat and monitoring through lower levels of parenting stress, among parents of girls, mostly from the early stage of adolescence. Additionally, higher levels of parenting stress were associated with using food as a reward and, consequently, with higher levels of emotional eating among girls, and with more restriction and, consequently, with more overeating among early-stage adolescents. A comprehensive model suggesting that mindful parenting can help children/adolescents engage less in disordered eating behaviors through lower levels of parenting stress and the adoption of more adaptive child-feeding practices is proposed. Parental practices, particularly mindful parenting, may have an important role in promoting healthier eating behaviors among children/adolescents.

Differential effects of behavioral interventions with a graded physical activity component in patients suffering from Chronic Fatigue (Syndrome): An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

An updated systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to (1) evaluate the effects of behavioral and psychological interventions containing a graded physical activity component upon fatigue severity, physical functioning, physical activity and psychological distress, and to (2) examine potential moderator effects of trial characteristics (type of control, setting, provider, length of treatment, psychological component, flexibility in physical activity, and minimal face to face patient-provider contact). Pertinent content of selected studies was extracted and rated on a scale of methodological quality. Sixteen randomized controlled trials (N=2004) were included in the meta-analyses. Significant small to medium effect sizes (Hedge's g=0.25 to g=0.66) were found for all outcomes at post-treatment (M=5.2months) and follow-up (M=11.7months), with the exception of physical activity at post-treatment (g=0.11). The largest effects were found for fatigue severity (g=0.61 to g=0.66). Subgroup analyses revealed that minimal contact interventions had additional beneficial effects upon fatigue (g=0.96) and depression (g=0.85). Interventions provided by psychologists-psychotherapists and interventions conducted in secondary-tertiary settings also resulted in more beneficial effects on fatigue. We found some indication of publication bias. The small number of studies and variability between them are limitations of this study. Future research should explore additional moderating effects in order to improve the effectiveness of interventions.

Testosterone responsiveness to winning and losing experiences in female soccer players.

In many animal species including humans circulating androgen levels in males respond to social challenges. This response has been interpreted as an adaptive mechanism that helps the individuals to adjust their behavior to changes in social context. According to this hypothesis socially modulated androgen levels (e.g. increased levels in dominants and decreased levels in subordinates) would influence the subsequent expression of social behavior in a status-dependent fashion. This rationale is partially based on male physiology and therefore has been rarely investigated in females. Here, we investigated if a hormonal response to a social challenge that produces changes in status is also present in human females. We have collected saliva from and administered questionnaires to female soccer players of both teams playing the final match of the Portuguese Female soccer league. Samples were collected on a neutral day and on the day of the game both before and after the match. The change in testosterone levels (i.e. post-game-pre-game values=Delta(T)) was positive in the winners and negative in the losers and there was a significant difference in the testosterone change (i.e. Delta(T)) over the game between winners and losers. Cortisol levels did not vary with contest outcome. An anticipatory rise in circulating levels of both hormones (testosterone and cortisol) was detected before the match. Paralleling the hormonal responses, changes in mood and anxiety state were also found between both teams, with more positive states being observed in winners and more negative states being observed in losers at the end of the match. These results suggest that testosterone also responds to social challenges in human females and that contest-induced mood changes may influence this response.