Family members and peers' negative and positive body talk: How they relate to adolescent girls' body talk and eating disorder attitudes

Adolescent-perceived parent-child negative body talk and disordered eating: Evidence for behavior-specific affective mediators

INTRODUCTION

This study examined the mediating role of general negative affect and body-specific negative affect between the association between negative body talk occurring within the mother-daughter relationship and restrained and disinhibited disordered eating.

METHODS

Adolescent girls (N = 100; Mage = 14.25; 49.5% White) completed self-report measures of general negative affect (depression and anxiety), body-specific negative affect (body dissatisfaction), and perceptions of the frequency that negative body talk occurred in interactions with their mother (initiated by the mother or daughter) as part of a cross-sectional study. While the same set of questionnaires was administered to both mothers and daughters, only the data reported by the daughters were analyzed and included in this study. Data were gathered in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area of Michigan, USA, around the year 2015.

RESULTS

Path analysis showed that general negative affect, but not body-specific negative affect, mediated the association from mother-daughter negative body talk to disinhibited eating behaviors (emotional and external eating). Conversely, body-specific negative affect, but not general negative affect, mediated the association from negative body talk to restrained eating behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest there are distinct affective mechanisms that mediate the relationship between mother-daughter negative body talk and restrained versus disinhibited eating behavior. Future work should continue to explicate the role of general and body-related negative affect in different eating behaviors.

Translation and validation of a Chinese version of the body talk scale for women and men

Body talk has received increasing research attention in recent years, with accumulating evidence supporting the link between body talk and eating and body image disturbances. However, research on body talk in China is still relatively scarce and generally focused on fat talk, especially in women, and much remains unknown about muscle talk and positive body talk for both Chinese women and men. To promote a better understanding of body talk in the Chinese context, the present study adapted the Body Talk Scale (BTS) into Chinese Mandarin (i.e., C-BTS) and evaluated the factor structure and psychometric properties of the C-BTS in Chinese adult women and men. The English version of the BTS was translated into Chinese Mandarin with standard procedures. With 300 Chinese women (Mage = 29.48 years, SD = 7.26) and 300 men (Mage = 29.36 years, SD = 6.81), we examined the factor structure and gender invariance of the C-BTS, as well as internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, and construct validity, including convergent, concurrent, and incremental validity of the C-BTS. The results indicated that, consistent with the development study of the BTS, the C-BTS had three subscales (i.e., Negative Fat Talk, Negative Muscle Talk, and Positive Body Talk) and good reliability and validity. The findings demonstrate that the C-BTS can be a useful measure of body talk in both Chinese women and men.

A reflexive thematic analysis of #WhatIEatInADay on TikTok

Eating-related content is common on TikTok, a popular video-based social media platform, but studies of eating-related content on TikTok are limited. Given the documented association between social media use and disordered eating, investigation of eating-related content on TikTok is needed. One subset of popular eating-related content is "What I Eat in a Day" (#WhatIEatInADay), in which a creator documents the food they eat over the assumed span of a single day. We sought to evaluate the content of TikTok #WhatIEatInADay videos (N = 100) using reflexive thematic analysis. Two primary types of videos emerged. First, Lifestyle videos (N = 60), which included aesthetic elements, presentations of clean eating, stylized meals, promotion of weight loss and the thin ideal, normalization of eating as a fat woman, and disordered eating content. Second, Eating Only videos (N = 40), which were primarily focused on food, and included upbeat music, an emphasis on highly palatable foods, displays of irony, emojis, and excessive consumption of food. Because viewing eating-related social media content has been associated with disordered eating, both types of TikTok #WhatIEatInADay videos may be harmful to vulnerable youth. Given the popularity of TikTok and #WhatIEatinADay, clinicians and researchers should consider the potential impact of this trend. Future research should examine the impact of viewing TikTok #WhatIEatInADay videos on disordered eating risk factors and behaviors.

Negative family body talk and negative emotional eating among Chinese adolescent girls and young adult women: The role of body dissatisfaction and feminism consciousness

Negative emotional eating has been increasingly a prominent disordered eating and public health problem among young women, especially during COVID-19. Although previous studies have attempted to explain the relationship between body talk and negative emotional eating, limited studies focused on examining the potential mechanisms, especially the potential protective mechanism. Thus, the current study aimed to examine the relationship between negative family body talk (NFBT) and negative emotional eating, as well as its underlying mechanism - the mediating role of body dissatisfaction (BDIS) and the moderating role of feminism consciousness (FC). A cross-sectional study was employed among a sample of Chinese girls and young women (n = 813, M_age = 19.4 years) from a junior college in central China. Participants completed surveys assessing NFBT (Adapted Body Talk Scale), BDIS (Body Image State Scale), negative emotional eating (Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire), and FC (Synthesis Subscale from Feminist Identity Composite). A moderated mediation analysis was conducted. The results showed that: (1) after controlling for age and BMI, NFBT was positively associated with negative emotional eating, and BDIS could significantly mediate this relationship (mediating effect = 0.03, 95% CI [0.02, 0.06]); (2) FC significantly moderated both the direct relationship between NFBT and negative emotional eating and the relationship between NFBT and BDIS. Specifically, these two associations were not significant for participants with higher FC (+1SD above average). This study deepens our understanding of the relationship between NFBT and negative emotional eating, as well as the protective role of FC. If future studies demonstrate causal relationships, this evidence could point to a need for programs to prevent negative emotional eating in young women by increasing their level of feminism consciousness.

Practical Considerations for Using the Eating Disorder Examination Interview with Adolescents

Approximately 35 years after its initial publication, the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) remains one of the most widely used semi-structured interviews for assessing eating disorder diagnoses and symptomatology. Although the interview provides certain advantages over other common measurement approaches (ie, questionnaires), there are particular considerations regarding the EDE that warrant attention, including in its use with adolescents. The aims of this paper are therefore to: 1) provide a brief overview of the interview itself, as well as a description of its origin and underlying conceptual framework; 2) describe relevant factors for administering the interview with adolescents; 3) review potential limitations regarding use of the EDE with adolescents; 4) address considerations for using the EDE with pertinent subpopulations of adolescents who may experience distinct eating disorder symptoms and/or risk factors; and 5) discuss the integration of self-report questionnaires with the EDE. Advantages of using the EDE include the ability for interviewers to clarify complex concepts and mitigate inattentive responding, enhanced orientation to the interview timeframe to improve recall, increased diagnostic accuracy compared to questionnaires, and accounting for potentially salient external factors (eg, food/eating rules imposed by a parent/guardian). Limitations include more extensive training requirements, greater assessment burden, variable psychometric performance across subgroups, lack of items evaluating muscularity-oriented symptoms and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder diagnostic criteria, and lack of explicit consideration for salient risk factors other than weight and shape concerns (eg, food insecurity).

Person-centered evaluation of positive body image among Chinese nursing students: Associations with body appreciation, self-concept clarity, and negative affect

Background

Nowadays, the effect of body image (BI) on negative affect among nursing college students has been ignored. This study used person-centered methods to evaluate the profiles of body appreciation (BA) among Chinese nursing students. We explored the predictive factors of these profiles and examined the difference in negative affect among the profiles.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey study was conducted in a university in Anhui province, China. Five hundred and forty-one Chinese nursing students from a nursing college of a larger university completed this survey. Participants completed the Sociodemographic Characteristics Questionnaire, the Self-concept Clarity Scale, the Body Appreciation Scale-2, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale. Latent profile analysis was employed to classify the BA profiles, and multinomial logistic regression analysis were conducted using the three-step regression and Bolck-Croon- Hagenaars method to test the relationship between the latent profiles of BA, several covariates (including gender, age, year of schooling, residence, academic achievement level, interpersonal relationship status, whether the student is an only child, duration of use of social media platforms, body mass index (BMI), and self-concept clarity (SCC)), and negative affect.

Results

Analysis resulted in a four-profile model that included a "low BA" group (14.42%), an "upper medium BA" group (36.41%), a "lower medium BA" group (36.97%), and a "high BA" group (12.20%). SCC, years of schooling, interpersonal relationship status, and BMI were found to be the predictive factors of BA profiles. The four profiles differed in levels of stress, depression, and anxiety.

Conclusion

Our study showed that more than half of nursing students were dissatisfied with their BI and the predictive factors evaluated and negative affect were associated with the profiles of BA. Nursing faculties should take measures to help students develop a more appropriate awareness of nursing aesthetics, a healthier lifestyle, a better interpersonal relationship with family members and peers, and a clearer self-concept to promote body appreciation and reduce negative affect related to BI.

Factor structure and psychometric properties of a multicultural Spanish-language version of the Eating Disorder-15 in a nonclinical sample of Chilean women

OBJECTIVE

The Eating Disorder-15 (ED-15) is a brief measure developed for the routine assessment of eating disorder (EDs), despite its use in research settings having increased over the last few years. To assess the psychometric properties of the ED-15 in a nonclinical sample of Chilean women.

METHOD

A multicultural Spanish-language version was developed through combined translation techniques. University female students (N = 380) (M_age 22.32, SD = 2.48) were recruited through social media. After providing their informed consent, participants completed a battery of questionnaires online.

RESULTS

A bi-factor model replicating the bi-factor structure and providing support for the general factor showed the best fit to the data. Moderate-to-strong correlations with measures of EDs, physical comparison, body appreciation, social physique anxiety, and depressive symptoms are presented as evidence of concurrent and convergent validity. Items analyses revealed strong correlations between manifest variables, their correspondent latent variable and the general factor (r_s  = .60 to .89, ps < .001). Additionally, current findings provide support for the internal consistency of the scale (Cronbach's alpha and Omega values were ≥ .80) and test-retest reliability (ICCs = .84 to .89, ps < .001).

DISCUSSION

Like previous findings, the current study provides validity to the original bi-factor structure of the ED-15 and additional validity to a general factor. The availability of this multicultural Spanish-language version would provide session-by-session assessment, providing crucial information throughout treatment. Also, the availability of the current measure would contribute to further research efforts in a yet understudied population such as Hispanic women.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE

The Eating Disorder-15 (ED-15) is a promising measure meant to assess session-by-session change for clinical and research purposes. The availability of a Multicultural Spanish language version of the ED-15 allows for routine clinical assessment and represents a contribution for research efforts in a yet understudied populations such as Hispanic women.

Feminist embodiment, body talk, and body image among mothers and daughters

Guided by the developmental theory of embodiment, the current study explored feminist embodiment as a protective factor that may simultaneously promote more positive (and less negative) body talk and body image outcomes among mothers and their young adult daughters. Results from an expanded actor-partner interdependence model (APIM; N = 169 dyads) revealed that our construct of feminist embodiment, which was composed of feminist attitudes, mind-body connection, and psychological empowerment, has potential benefits for both mothers and daughters. Specifically, actor effects indicated that feminist embodiment was positively associated with both mothers' and daughters' body image, and it was indirectly associated with both women's own body image through more positive (and less negative) body talk. Additionally, partner effects revealed a number of direct effects between one's own body talk and the other's body image, and also that daughters' feminist embodiment was indirectly associated mothers' body image through daughters' positive body talk. This study highlights the empowering and supportive nature of mother-daughter relationships and suggests the potential body image benefits of women experiencing feminist embodiment.