Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2024, Clinical Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

College students in the United States report elevated rates of food insecurity, an experience that is longitudinally associated with disordered eating behaviors, including binge eating. Intuitive eating has emerged as an adaptive eating style that is potentially protective against binge eating and is characterized by reliance on one's internal cues for hunger and fullness, predominantly eating for such physical reasons, and flexibility within eating-related decisions. Emerging work suggests that individuals experiencing food insecurity demonstrate less intuitive eating, and it remains unclear whether engagement in intuitive eating functions as a protective factor, weakening the link between food insecurity and binge eating. The current thesis aimed to replicate previous findings of associations between binge eating and food insecurity and relevant domains of intuitive eating (e.g., reliance on hunger and satiety cues and eating for physical rather than emotional reasons) and evaluate whether intuitive eating moderated the association between food insecurity severity and binge eating. Data were collected from 493 college students between the ages of 18 and 25 (mean (SD) age=19.56 (1.43) years; 79.5% female; 90.1% white). Bivariate analyses found a significant positive correlation between food insecurity severity and binge eating and a significant negative association between intuitive eating domains and binge eating. Contrary to hypotheses, multiple regression analyses revealed that no significant interactive effect existed between the food insecurity and intuitive eating domains. With the inclusion of intuitive eating domains in the models, food insecurity severity was no longer associated with binge eating. This study is the first to leverage a continuous, severity-based approach to measuring food insecurity and contributes to the growing body of literature examining associations between food insecurity and eating behaviors. The present findings suggest that intuit (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: K. Jean Forney (Advisor); Stephen Scanlan (Committee Member); Peggy Zoccola (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Psychology/Clinical

Disordered eating (DE) and emotional eating (EE) are categorized as maladaptive eating behaviors that can place one at risk for developing a diagnosable eating disorder. Research suggests that DE and EE are shaped by a myriad of psychological stressors. Historically, eating disorder research has focused on white females, with less empirical evidence allocated to understanding the relationship between psychological stress and eating outcomes in their non-white counterparts. A hallmark stressful experience that ethnic and racial minorities are disproportionally exposed to is perceived discrimination. Perceived discrimination has been linked to various negative psychological outcomes, such as DE and EE. The Stress-Process Model suggests that the relationship between stress exposures and mental health outcomes is mediated by social resources and moderated by personal resources. No current study exists utilizing the Stress-Process Model to examine whether social support (social resource) mediates the relationship between perceived discrimination (stress exposure) and DE and EE (mental health outcomes). Additionally, prior research has not examined personal resources as potential moderators of this relationship, such as internalization of thinness and ethnic identity. The current study aimed to examine the following research questions: Does social support mediate the relation between perceived discrimination and DE and EE within ethnic minority populations? Second, do ethnic identity and internalization of thinness moderate the relation between perceived discrimination and DE and EE? Finally, does internalization of thinness moderate the relation between perceived discrimination and DE across racial/ethnic minority groups? Data was collected using electronic surveys, inquiring on demographics, perceived discrimination, DE and EE, social support, internalization of thinness, and level of ethnic identity. Three hundred and seven participants were recruited using Mechanical (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Abby Braden Ph.D. (Advisor); Dara Musher-Eizenman Ph.D. (Committee Member); William O'Brien Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2021, Psychology/Clinical

Binge eating is present in people with overweight/obesity and clinical eating disorders and is positively associated with negative psychological and physiological health outcomes. Research supports the separate contributions of emotion dysregulation and deficits in inhibitory control and working memory in relation to binge eating among adults with overweight/obesity. Supported by theory of cognitive control of emotion regulation, the present study examined emotion dysregulation and deficits in inhibitory control and working memory as correlates of binge eating among adults with overweight/obesity. Findings also addressed a gap in the literature around the precise nature of inhibitory control and working memory deficits in relation to binge eating, specifically if these deficits are bound to food or general information, or both. A cross-sectional study was employed using an online community sample of adults with overweight/obesity in the United States. Participants (N = 204) completed demographics, anthropometrics (i.e., BMI), and measures assessing emotion dysregulation (Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale), inhibitory control (go/no-go task, food and general stimuli), working memory (N-Back Task, food and general stimuli), and binge eating (Binge Eating Scale). Confirmatory moderation analyses were calculated to examine inhibitory control (food-specific and general deficits) and working memory (food-specific and general deficits) as moderators of the relation between emotion dysregulation and binge eating. Exploratory moderation analyses assessing the relation between emotion dysregulation and disordered eating (Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire) were calculated with inhibitory control and working memory as moderators, again across food-specific and general stimuli. Findings provide preliminary evidence for both food-specific and general inhibitory control and working memory deficits to strengthen the relations between emotion dysregulation and eatin (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Abby Braden, Ph.D. (Advisor); Joshua Grubbs, Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Dara Musher-Eizenman, Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Psychology

PHD, Kent State University, 2011, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Research has begun to investigate the role of exercise in the development and maintenance of eating pathology, particularly the role of exercise as a compensatory weight control strategy. Previous research suggests that while exercise is associated with positive benefits for the majority of individuals, some people utilize exercise in more pathological ways and, therefore, experience more negative outcomes. The present study examined exercise in two distinct groups of exercisers: those with reported disordered eating beliefs and behaviors and those with little or no disordered eating beliefs or behaviors. Ecological momentary assessment was utilized to assess exercise behaviors as they occur and to collect data on affect changes, body dissatisfaction, and eating behaviors, including the amount of food consumed and feelings about that food intake. Participants provided data for approximately seven full days. Hierarchical Linear Modeling was utilized to allow for the assessment of multiple data points per person. Results suggest that exercisers with high levels of eating pathology experience many of the same beneficial consequences from their exercise as exercisers with low levels of eating pathology, including decreased levels of body dissatisfaction and negative affect following exercise. However, exercisers with eating pathology do appear to experience higher levels of body dissatisfaction and negative affect in general. The effects of exercise motivations were moderated by group membership, with exercisers with eating pathology reporting more appearance and weight related reasons for exercise and less beneficial consequences from fitness and health motivations for exercise. No clear relationships were identified between exercise behaviors and pre or post exercise caloric intake. However, exercisers with high levels of eating pathology did endorse less caloric expenditure (from exercise) on binge eating days than on non-binge eating days. Furthermore, exercisers w (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Janis Crowther Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jocelyn Folk Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jacob Barkley Ph.D. (Committee Member); Dan Neal Ph.D. (Committee Member); John Gunstad Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

PHD, Kent State University, 2008, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

The frequency, nature, and effects of naturally occurring appearance-focused socialcomparisons on affect, cognitions, and disordered eating is an important link to our understanding of the development of eating disorders. Most research investigating this phenomenon has used either survey or analogue studies. While such approaches are useful, the generalizability of the findings of such studies to more naturally occurring comparisons is limited. Furthermore, the one study (Leahey et al., 2007) that investigated naturally occurring appearance comparisons did not examine theoretically relevant moderators of comparison effects (i.e., comparison motive and comparison target). Thus, this study replicated and extended previous findings by investigating the frequency, nature, effects, and moderators of naturally occurring appearance comparisons on women with high body dissatisfaction and eating pathology (EDHB; n=55), high body dissatisfaction (HB; n=45), and low body dissatisfaction (LB; n=60). Participants were pre-screened for eating pathology and high or low body dissatisfaction during General Psychology Mass Testing Sessions. Those who agreed to participate completed diaries over the course of five days whenever signaled to do so by an alarm from a PDA. Participants completed a "Comparison Diary" or a "No Comparison Diary" depending on if they engaged in a comparison. The Comparison Diary assessed comparison direction, effects, motive, and target and post-comparison affect, esteem, and eating-related cognitions and behavior. The No Comparison Diary assessed general affect, esteem, and eating-related cognitions and behavior. Intraindividual and group differences were examined and moderators of comparison effects were explored. EDHB and HB women engaged in more comparisons and more upward comparisons than LB women. All women experienced negative emotional and cognitive effects of upward comparisons; however, women with body dissatisfaction and eating pathology experience (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Janis Crowther PhD (Committee Chair); Nancy Docherty PhD (Committee Member); John Gunstad PhD (Committee Member); Kristin Mickelson PhD (Committee Member); Amy Kroska PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology; Social Psychology

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, 2004, Psychology

This study investigated family perfectionism in relation to subclinical eating pathology in college undergraduate women. Measurement instruments used were the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale-Frost (MPS-F) and the Questionnaire for Eating Disorders Diagnoses (Q-EDD). There were no significant differences in overall perfectionism among symptomatic and asymptomatic daughters, mothers, and fathers. There was also no statistically significant correlation between subclinical eating pathology and perfectionism, which may suggest that perfectionism is not a central tenet of subclinical eating pathology. In addition, there were no significant relationships in perfectionism between daughters-mothers and daughters-fathers. Benefits from this study are a more thorough understanding of the complexity of perfectionism and the need to study family perfectionism and subclinical eating pathology in greater depth.

Committee: Christine M. Dacey Ph.D., ABPP (Committee Chair); Norman Barry Ph.D., ABPP (Committee Member); David T. Hellkamp Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Womens Studies

Master of Arts, Marietta College, 2011, Psychology

The goal of this study was to examine possible risk factors for the development of eating pathology in male athletes who attend a small liberal arts college. This study expanded on Reinking and Alexander (2005), who examined female collegiate athletes and non-athletes and found that female athletes did not report higher levels of eating pathology than non-athletes. The participants in the current study were athletes and non-athletes; participants answered questions on different measures pertaining to eating pathology, depression, stress and anxiety. Height, weight and body fat measurements were also taken. It was predicted that male athletes that scored high on the DASS (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale) would also score high on the EDI (Eating Disorder Inventory); male athletes will show higher rates of eating pathology than non-athletes; and that BMI (Body Mass Index) will mediate rates of eating pathology in athletes. None of the hypotheses were supported by the data, but non-athletes actually scored higher on the DASS and EDI and the model was significant in predicting EDI scores in non-athletes.

Committee: Alicia Doerflinger Dr. (Advisor); Ryan May Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychology