The Face of Appearance-Related Social Pressure: Gender, Age and Body Mass Variations in Peer and Parental Pressure During Adolescence.

The face of appearance-related social pressure: gender, age and body mass Variations in peer and parental pressure during adolescence.

Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2013 May 17; 7(1): 16
Helfert S, Warschburger P

BACKGROUND: Appearance-related social pressure plays an important role in the development of a negative body image and self-esteem as well as severe mental disorders during adolescence (e.g. eating disorders, depression). Identifying who is particularly affected by social pressure can improve targeted prevention and intervention, but findings have either been lacking or controversial. Thus the aim of this study is to provide a detailed picture of gender, weight, and age-related variations in the perception of appearance-related social pressure by peers and parents. METHODS: 1112 German students between grades 7 and 9 (mean age: M = 13.38, SD = .81) filled in the Appearance-Related Social Pressure Questionnaire (German: FASD), which considers different sources (peers, parents) as well as various kinds of social pressure (e.g. teasing, modeling, encouragement). RESULTS: Girls were more affected by peer pressure, while gender differences in parental pressure seemed negligible. Main effects of grade-level suggested a particular increase in indirect peer pressure (e.g. appearance-related school and class norms) from early to middle adolescence. Boys and girls with higher BMI were particularly affected by peer teasing and exclusion as well as by parental encouragement to control weight and shape. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that preventive efforts targeting body concerns and disordered eating should bring up the topic of appearance pressure in a school-based context and should strengthen those adolescents who are particularly at risk – in our study, girls and adolescents with higher weight status. Early adolescence and school transition appear to be crucial periods for these efforts. Moreover, the comprehensive assessment of appearance-related social pressure appears to be a fruitful way to further explore social risk-factors in the development of a negative body image. HubMed – eating disorders

Drive for muscularity and muscularity-oriented disordered eating in men: The role of set shifting difficulties and weak central coherence.

Body Image. 2013 May 13;
Griffiths S, Murray SB, Touyz S

Set shifting difficulties and weak central coherence are information-processing biases associated with thinness-oriented eating and body image pathology in women. However, little is known about the relationship between these processing biases and muscularity-oriented eating and body image pathology. We investigated whether set shifting and central coherence were uniquely related to the drive for muscularity and muscularity-oriented disordered eating in a sample of 91 male undergraduates. Participants completed the Wisconsin Card Sort Test, the Matching Familiar Figures Task, the Drive for Muscularity scale, and a modified Eating Disorders Examination-Questionnaire. Results indicated that set shifting difficulties and weak central coherence were both uniquely positively associated with the drive for muscularity, and that set shifting difficulties were uniquely positively associated with muscularity-oriented disordered eating. Results are discussed with regard to the male experience of body image and eating pathology, and in regard to muscle dysmorphia. HubMed – eating disorders

The Impact of Information on Attitudes Toward E-Mental Health Services.

Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2013 May 16;
Casey LM, Joy A, Clough BA

Abstract E-mental health services are Internet-based treatment options for mental illness. There has been a proliferation of these services in recent years, with online programs now available for the treatment of mood, anxiety, eating, adjustment, and substance use disorders. (1) E-mental health services allow for greater dissemination of psychological treatments, are cost effective, and may overcome a number of client barriers to care. (1) However, the limited research available indicates that attitudes about e-mental health services are less than optimal. Past research has found that providing information about services can improve attitudes. This study investigated the relationship between knowledge of e-mental health services and attitudes toward e-mental health services. The attitudes examined were the perceived helpfulness of e-mental health services and the likelihood of using the services. Participants (N=217) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: provision of e-mental health information by means of film; provision of e-mental health information by text; or provision of no e-mental health information. Results indicated that participants perceived online programs without therapist assistance as being significantly less helpful, and reported reduced likelihood of engaging in these programs when compared to other e-mental health services. Participants in the text intervention group reported higher likelihood of e-mental health use in the future, whereas there were no effects for the film group. Results indicate that participants perceive important differences between types of e-mental health services, and that a brief text intervention can improve attitudes toward these services. Limitations of the present study and directions for future research are discussed. HubMed – eating disorders