Previous studies have reported inconsistent relationships between body image, eating disorder symptoms, and acculturation-relevant variables. The current study examined these variables in a sample of White, Latina, and Black college women (N = 276). White and Latina participants selected slimmer personal body shape ideals than Black women. Among Black women, the discrepancy between perceived body shape and perceived ideal body shape for the United States was predictive of Eating Disorder Inventory Body Dissatisfaction (EDI-BD) and Drive for Thinness (EDI-DFT) scores. The discrepancy between perceived body shape and perceived ideal for their ethnic group also predicted EDI-BD scores. Among Latinas, the discrepancy between perceived body shape and perceived body shape ideal for their ethnic group was predictive of EDI-BD and EDI-DFT scores, whereas a discrepancy between perceived body shape and perceived ideal for the United States was not predictive of eating disorder symptoms. Finally, higher levels of acculturative stress, but not acculturation, were associated with EDI-BD scores among Black women and EDI-DFT scores among Latinas. Findings underscore the importance of considering cultural variables such as acculturative stress when conducting clinical work with ethnic minority women.

Objective: To conduct a prospective, longitudinal study examining weight fluctuation and its predictors before and during the first year of college. Design: Men (n ϭ 266) and women (n ϭ 341) enrolled at Dartmouth College (age range: 16 to 26; body mass index range: 15.0 to 42.9) provided self-reports of weight and height and completed measures of self-esteem, eating habits, interpersonal relationships, exercise patterns, and disordered eating behaviors both in their senior year of high school and either 3, 6, or 9 months into college. Main Outcome Measure: Self-reported weight was the primary outcome indicator. Results: Analyses indicated that both men and women gained a significant amount of weight (3.5 and 4.0 pounds, respectively). Weight gain occurred before November of the first academic year and was maintained as the year progressed. College freshmen gain weight at a much higher rate than that of average American adults. For men, frequently engaging in exercise predicted weight gain. Having troublesome relationships with parents also predicted weight gain in men, whereas for women, having positive relationships with parents predicted weight gain. Conclusion: Understanding the predictors of early college weight gain may aid in the development of prevention programs.

Objective: Revised Eating Disorder (ED) diagnostic criteria have been proposed for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-5 to reduce the preponderance of eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) and increase the validity of diagnostic groups. This article compares DSM-IV and proposed DSM-5 diagnostic criteria on number of EDNOS cases and validity.Method: Participants (N 5 397; 91% female) completed structured clinical interviews in a two-stage epidemiological study of EDs. Interviewers did not follow standard skip rules, making it possible to evaluate alternative ED diagnostic criteria.Results: Using DSM-IV versus DSM-5 criteria, 34 (14%) versus 48 (20%) had anorexia nervosa, 43 (18%) versus 44 (18%) had bulimia nervosa, and 163 (68%) had EDNOS versus 20 (8%) had binge eating disorder (BED), and 128 (53%) had EDNOS, respectively, reflecting a significant decrease in EDNOS. Validation analyses supported significant differences among groups with some improvement associated with delineation of BED.Discussion: Proposed revisions to EDs in the DSM-5 significantly reduced reliance on EDNOS without loss of information. V V C 2011 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Coaches and clinicians should be aware that athletes experience higher rates of eating disorder symptoms than nonathletes. Moreover, sports anxiety should be considered as a possible target of therapy among athletes.

No abstract

Objective-To ascertain the extent to which childhood separation anxiety disorder (SAD) confers risk for the development of psychopathology during young adulthood (ages 19-30).Method-A subset of the participants of the Oregon adolescent depression project (n = 816) was used. Subjects provided retrospective reports of lifetime mental illness (including SAD) and concurrent reports of current mental illness at age 16, and were then followed prospectively until age 30. Diagnostic assessments were conducted twice during adolescence, and again at ages 24 and 30. Based on diagnosis during childhood/adolescence, the subjects were partitioned into four orthogonal groups: SAD (n = 42), other anxiety disorders (n = 88), a heterogeneous psychiatric disorders control group (n = 389), and a not mentally ill control group (n = 297). Adjusting for demographic variables that were significantly associated with group status and for comorbid disorders prior to age 19, the results were analyzed with hierarchical multiple logistic regression.Results-SAD was a strong (78.6%) risk factor for the development of mental disorders during young adulthood. The major vulnerabilities were for panic disorder and depression.Conclusions-Because SAD creates a major vulnerability for mental disorders during young adulthood, clinicians should be sensitive to the presence of SAD, and children and adolescents with SAD should be provided with treatment. Future research should evaluate whether successful treatment for SAD and/or the provision of a preventative intervention during childhood/adolescence reduce the risk for future psychopathology.

The Military Suicide Research Consortium (MSRC) developed a 57-item questionnaire assessing suicide risk factors, referred to as the Common Data Elements (CDEs), in order to facilitate data sharing and improve collaboration across independent studies. All studies funded by MSRC are required to include the CDEs in their assessment protocol. The CDEs include shortened measures of the following: current and past suicide risk, lethality and intent of past suicide attempts, hopelessness, thwarted belongingness, anxiety sensitivity, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, traumatic brain injury, insomnia, and alcohol abuse. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the CDE items drawn from empirically validated measures. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the overall structure of the CDE items, and confirmatory factor analyses were used to evaluate the distinct properties of each scale. Internal consistencies of the CDE scales and correlations with full measures were also examined. Merged data from 3,140 participants (81.0% military service members, 75.6% male) across 19 MSRC-funded studies were used in analyses. Results indicated that all measures exhibited adequate internal consistency, and all CDE shortened measures were significantly correlated with the corresponding full measures with moderate to strong effect sizes. Factor analyses indicated that the shortened CDE measures performed well in comparison with the full measures. Overall, our findings suggest that the CDEs are not only brief but also provide psychometrically valid scores when assessing suicide risk and related factors that may be used in future research. (PsycINFO Database Record

Although suicide risk is often thought of as existing on a graded continuum, its latent structure (i.e., whether it is categorical or dimensional) has not been empirically determined. Knowledge about the latent structure of suicide risk holds implications for suicide risk assessments, targeted suicide interventions, and suicide research. Our objectives were to determine whether suicide risk can best be understood as a categorical (i.e., taxonic) or dimensional entity, and to validate the nature of any obtained taxon. We conducted taxometric analyses of cross-sectional, baseline data from 16 independent studies funded by the Military Suicide Research Consortium. Participants (N = 1,773) primarily consisted of military personnel, and most had a history of suicidal behavior. The Comparison Curve Fit Index values for MAMBAC (.85), MAXEIG (.77), and L-Mode (.62) all strongly supported categorical (i.e., taxonic) structure for suicide risk. Follow-up analyses comparing the taxon and complement groups revealed substantially larger effect sizes for the variables most conceptually similar to suicide risk compared with variables indicating general distress. Pending replication and establishment of the predictive validity of the taxon, our results suggest the need for a fundamental shift in suicide risk assessment, treatment, and research. Specifically, suicide risk assessments could be shortened without sacrificing validity, the most potent suicide interventions could be allocated to individuals in the high-risk group, and research should generally be conducted on individuals in the high-risk group. (PsycINFO Database Record