Global and physical self-esteem and body dissatisfaction as mediators of the relationship between weight status and being a victim of bullying

Research has found evidence of a link between being overweight or obese and bullying/peer victimisation, and also between obesity and adjustment problems such as low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction. Studies have also found that adjustment problems can put children at an increased risk of being bullied over time. However, to date the factors that place overweight or obese children at risk of being bullied have been poorly elucidated. Self-report data were collected from a sample of 11-14 year olds (N=376) about their weight status, about their experiences of three different types of bullying (Verbal, Physical and Social), their global self-worth, self-esteem for physical appearance, and body dissatisfaction. Overweight or obese children reported experiencing significantly more verbal and physical (but not social) bullying than their non-overweight peers. Global self-worth, self-esteem for physical appearance and body dissatisfaction each fully mediated the paths between weight status and being a victim of bullying.

Weight-based discrimination, body dissatisfaction and emotional eating:the role of perceived social consensus.

Objective: Discrimination can have a negative impact on psychological well-being, attitudes and behaviour. This research evaluates the impact of experiences of weight-based discrimination upon emotional eating and body dissatisfaction, and also explores whether people's beliefs about an ingroup's social consensus concerning how favourably overweight people are regarded can moderate the relationship between experiences of discrimination and negative eating and weight-related cognitions and behaviours. Research methods and procedures: 197 undergraduate students completed measures about their experiences of weight-based discrimination, emotional eating and body dissatisfaction. Participants also reported their beliefs concerning an ingroup's attitude towards overweight people. Results: Recollections of weight-based discrimination significantly contributed to emotional eating and body dissatisfaction. However, the relationships between experiencing discrimination and body dissatisfaction and emotional eating were weakest amongst participants who believed that the ingroup held a positive attitude towards overweight people. Discussion: Beliefs about ingroup social consensus concerning overweight people can influence the relationships between weight-based discrimination and emotional eating and body dissatisfaction. Changing group perceptions to perceive it to be unacceptable to discriminate against overweight people may help to protect victims of discrimination against the negative consequences of weight-based stigma.

The influence of emotional intensity on facial emotion recognition in disordered eating

Significant facial emotion recognition (FER) deficits have been observed in participants exhibiting high levels of eating psychopathology. The current study aimed to determine if the pattern of FER deficits is influenced by intensity of facial emotion and to establish if eating psychopathology is associated with a specific pattern of emotion recognition errors that is independent of other psychopathological or personality factors. Eighty females, 40 high and 40 low scorers on the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) were presented with a series of faces, each featuring one of five emotional expressions at one of four intensities, and were asked to identify the emotion portrayed. Results revealed that, in comparison to Low EDI scorers, high scorers correctly recognised significantly fewer expressions, particularly of fear and anger. There was also a trend for this deficit to be more evident for subtle displays of emotion (50% intensity). Deficits in anger recognition were related specifically to scores on the body dissatisfaction subscale of the EDI. Error analyses revealed that, in comparison to Low EDI scorers, high scorers made significantly more and fear-as-anger errors. Also, a tendency to label anger expressions as sadness was related to body dissatisfaction. Current findings confirm FER deficits in subclinical eating psychopathology and extend these findings to subtle expressions of emotion. Furthermore, this is the first study to establish that these deficits are related to a specific pattern of recognition errors. Impaired FER could disrupt normal social functioning and might represent a risk factor for the development of more severe psychopathology.

Emotion recognition and alexithymia in females with non-clinical disordered eating

Objectives: The aims were to determine if emotion recognition deficits observed in eating disorders generalise to non-clinical disordered eating and to establish if other psychopathological and personality factors contributed to, or accounted for, these deficits. Design: Females with high (n=23) and low (n=22) scores on the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) were assessed on their ability to recognise emotion from videotaped social interactions. Participants also completed a face memory task, a Stroop task, and self-report measures of alexithymia, depression and anxiety. Results: Relative to the low EDI group, high EDI participants exhibited a general deficit in recognition of emotion, which was related to their scores on the alexithymia measure and the bulimia subscale of the EDI. They also exhibited a specific deficit in the recognition of anger, which was related to their scores on the body dissatisfaction subscale of the EDI. Conclusions: In line with clinical eating disorders, non-clinical disordered eating is associated with emotion recognition deficits. However, the nature of these deficits appears to be dependent upon the type of eating psychopathology and the degree of co-morbid alexithymia.

Body iron is associated with cognitive executive planning function in college women

Evidence of the relationship between altered cognitive function and depleted Fe status is accumulating in women of reproductive age but the degree of Fe deficiency associated with negative neuropsychological outcomes needs to be delineated. Data are limited regarding this relationship in university women in whom optimal cognitive function is critical to academic success. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between body Fe, in the absence of Fe-deficiency anaemia, and neuropsychological function in young college women. Healthy, non-Anaemic undergraduate women (n 42) provided a blood sample and completed a standardised cognitive test battery consisting of one manual (Tower of London (TOL), a measure of central executive function) and five computerised (Bakan vigilance task, mental rotation, simple reaction time, immediate word recall and two-finger tapping) tasks. Women's body Fe ranged from - 4·2 to 8·1 mg/kg. General linear model ANOVA revealed a significant effect of body Fe on TOL planning time (P= 0.002). Spearman's correlation coefficients showed a significant inverse relationship between body Fe and TOL planning time for move categories 4 (r - 0.39, P= 0.01) and 5 (r - 0.47, P= 0.002). Performance on the computerised cognitive tasks was not affected by body Fe level. These findings suggest that Fe status in the absence of anaemia is positively associated with central executive function in otherwise healthy college women. Copyright © The Authors 2012.

The influence of alexithymia and mood on eating psychopathology in a non-clinical female sample

It has been demonstrated that clinical and subclinical disor- dered eating are associated with elevated levels of depression and the personality trait alexithymia (ALX). ALX means literally lack of words for emotion and is associated with a difficulty identifying and describing feelings, and with an externally oriented cognitive style. The aim of the current study was to examine the inter-relationships between mood and ALX in accounting for variations in non-clinical eating psychopathology. 124 females were assessed on the 20- item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). Results revealed that EDI scores were positively associated with scores on the TAS-20 and with scores on the depression and anxi- ety subscales of the HADS. A series of stepwise multiple regressions revealed that depression and ALX accounted for 53% of the variance in total EDI scores and 40% of the variance in scores on the drive- for-thinness subscale of the EDI. Scores on the bulimia and body dissatisfaction subscales were predicted by the mood scores only. In conclusion, ALX and mood may contribute, alone and in combi- nation, to the development of some forms of disordered eating.

The influence of alexithymia and mood on eating psychopathology in a non-clinical female sample

It has been demonstrated that clinical and subclinical disor- dered eating are associated with elevated levels of depression and the personality trait alexithymia (ALX). ALX means literally lack of words for emotion and is associated with a difficulty identifying and describing feelings, and with an externally oriented cognitive style. The aim of the current study was to examine the inter-relationships between mood and ALX in accounting for variations in non-clinical eating psychopathology. 124 females were assessed on the 20- item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). Results revealed that EDI scores were positively associated with scores on the TAS-20 and with scores on the depression and anxi- ety subscales of the HADS. A series of stepwise multiple regressions revealed that depression and ALX accounted for 53% of the variance in total EDI scores and 40% of the variance in scores on the drive- for-thinness subscale of the EDI. Scores on the bulimia and body dissatisfaction subscales were predicted by the mood scores only. In conclusion, ALX and mood may contribute, alone and in combi- nation, to the development of some forms of disordered eating.

Gender differences in the relationships between bullying at school and unhealthy eating and shape-related attitudes and behaviours

Background. Previous research has found links between being a victim of bullying and reporting more unhealthy eating behaviours and cognitions, particularly in girls. However, little is known about the factors that might mediate these relationships. Aim. The present study compared the relationships between bullying, emotional adjustment, restrained eating, and body dissatisfaction in adolescent boys and girls. Sample/method. Self-report data were collected from a sample of 11- to 14-year-olds (N= 376) on experiences of bullying, emotional symptoms, and unhealthy eating and shape-related attitudes and behaviours. Results. Bullying, emotional symptoms, restrained eating, and body dissatisfaction were all correlated. Emotional symptoms were found to significantly mediate the relationships between verbal bullying with body dissatisfaction in girls but not in boys. Conclusions. Findings suggest that the experience of being verbally bullied places adolescent girls at risk of developing emotional problems which can then lead to body dissatisfaction. Longitudinal research is necessary to disentangle these pathways in more detail to facilitate the development of informed interventions to support children who are being bullied.

Similarities between eating attitudes among friendship groups in childhood:the moderating role of child anxiety

Objective: This study explores the similarities between individual and group eating and weight concerns in 8-11-year-old children. It also evaluates whether child anxiety moderates the relationships between individual and group eating and weight concerns. Methods: One hundred and fifty four children aged 8-11 completed questionnaires concerning their friendship groups, their eating and weight concerns, and their levels of anxiety. Results: Children's own scores on dietary restraint, body dissatisfaction, and external eating were significantly correlated with their friendship groups' scores on dietary restraint. Child anxiety moderated the relationships between group dietary restraint and individual scores on external eating. Group levels of dietary restraint predicted higher levels of external eating in children with moderate or high anxiety. Conclusions: In pre-adolescent children, peer group levels of dietary restraint are related to individual eating and weight concerns. More anxious children may be more susceptible to peer influences on their eating behaviors. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press.

Increased risk of diabetes mellitus among persons with psychotic symptoms:results from the WHO World Health Survey

OBJECTIVE: To analyze with a symptom-based approach the relationship between psychosis and diabetes mellitus in the general population. METHOD: Nationally representative samples from the World Health Organization (WHO) World Health Survey, totaling 224,743 randomly selected adults 18 years and older from 52 countries worldwide, were interviewed to establish the presence of psychotic symptoms and diabetes mellitus. Presence of psychotic symptoms was established using questions pertaining to positive symptoms from the psychosis screening module of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Presence of diabetes was established with a response of "yes" to the question, "Have you ever been diagnosed with diabetes (high blood sugar)?" The World Health Survey was conducted between 2002 and 2004. RESULTS: An increasing number of psychotic symptoms was related to increasing likelihood of diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.27; 95% CI, 1.24-1.30). As compared to no symptoms, at least 1 psychotic symptom substantially elevated the risk (OR = 1.71; 95% CI, 1.61-1.81). In people with a lifetime diagnosis of schizophrenia or psychosis, the prevalence of diabetes was higher in those with current psychotic symptoms (7.3% vs 5.2%; OR = 1.65; 95% CI, 1.21-2.26), suggesting that the persistence of symptoms over time could play a central role. After controlling for different potential confounders, there was a clear increase in the probability of having diabetes as the number of psychotic symptoms increased. The relationship between psychotic symptoms and diabetes was tested with multiple mediation models and path analyses for categorical outcomes. Only body mass index appeared as a relevant mediator in a model with a good fit (ie, χ21 = 3.2, P = .0742; comparative fit index = 0.999). CONCLUSIONS: Psychotic symptoms are related to increased rates of diabetes mellitus in nonclinical samples, independent of several potential confounders-including a clinical diagnosis of psychosis or schizophrenia, previous antipsychotic treatment, depression, lifestyle, and individual or country socioeconomic status. The findings highlight the worldwide relevance of the problem and the importance of identifying the specific paths of this association.

Neural Network Modelling with Input Uncertainty: Theory and Application

It is generally assumed when using Bayesian inference methods for neural networks that the input data contains no noise. For real-world (errors in variable) problems this is clearly an unsafe assumption. This paper presents a Bayesian neural network framework which accounts for input noise provided that a model of the noise process exists. In the limit where the noise process is small and symmetric it is shown, using the Laplace approximation, that this method adds an extra term to the usual Bayesian error bar which depends on the variance of the input noise process. Further, by treating the true (noiseless) input as a hidden variable, and sampling this jointly with the network’s weights, using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method, it is demonstrated that it is possible to infer the regression over the noiseless input. This leads to the possibility of training an accurate model of a system using less accurate, or more uncertain, data. This is demonstrated on both the, synthetic, noisy sine wave problem and a real problem of inferring the forward model for a satellite radar backscatter system used to predict sea surface wind vectors.

Force sensing for measuring human body movement

The research developed in this thesis explores the sensing and inference of human movement in a dynamic way, as opposed to conventional measurement systems, that are only concerned with discrete evaluations of stimuli in sequential time. Typically, conventional approaches are used to infer the dynamic movement of the body; such as vision and motion tracking devices, with either a human diagnosis or complex image processing algorithm to classify the movement. This research is therefore the first of its kind to attempt and provide a movement classifying algorithm through the use of minimal sensing points, with the application for this novel system, to classify human movement during a golf swing. There are two main categories of force sensing. Firstly, array-type systems consisting of many sensing elements, and are the most commonly researched and commercially available. Secondly, reduced force sensing element systems (RFSES) also known as distributive systems have only been recently exploited in the academic world. The fundamental difference between these systems is that array systems handle the data captured from each sensor as unique outputs and suffer the effects of resolution. The effect of resolution, is the error in the load position measurement between sensing elements, as the output is quantized in terms of position. This can be compared to a reduced sensor element system that maximises that data received through the coupling of data from a distribution of sensing points to describe the output in discrete time. Also this can be extended to a coupling of transients in the time domain to describe an activity or dynamic movement. It is the RFSES that is to be examined and exploited in the commercial sector due to its advantages over array-based approaches such as reduced design, computational complexity and cost.

Leg muscles motion during whole body linear frequency sweep vibration

Whole body vibration (WBV) aims to mechanically activate muscles by eliciting stretch reflexes. Mechanical vibrations are usually transmitted to the patient body standing on a oscillating plate. WBV is now more and more utilized not only for fitness but also in physical therapy, rehabilitation and in sport medicine. Effects depend on intensity, direction and frequency of vibration; however, the training frequency is one of the most important factors involved. A preliminary vibratory session can be dedicated to find the best vibration frequency for each subject by varying, stepwise, the stimulation frequency and analyzing the resulting EMG activity. This study concentrates on the analysis of muscle motion in response to a vibration frequency sweep, while subjects held two different postures. The frequency of a vibrating platform was increased linearly from 10 to 60 Hz in 26 s, while platform and single muscles (Rectus Femoris, Biceps Femoris - long head and Gastrocnemius Lateralis) motions were monitored using tiny, lightweight three-axial MEMS accelerometers. Displacements were estimated integrating twice the acceleration data after gravity contribution removal. Mechanical frequency response (amplitude and phase) of the mechanical chains ending at the single muscles was characterized. Results revealed a mechanical resonant-like behavior at some muscles, very similar to a second-order system in the frequency interval explored; resonance frequencies and dumping factors depended on subject and its positioning onto the vibrating platform. Stimulation at the resonant frequency maximizes muscle lengthening, and in turn muscle spindle solicitation, which produce muscle activation. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.