Master of Arts in Psychology, Cleveland State University, 2024, College of Arts and Sciences

Research has consistently established that nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is associated with difficulties in regulating one's distress and that it co-occurs with other maladaptive behaviors. However, much of the extant literature assesses emotion regulation (ER) related processes instead of specific ER responses and/or relies on retrospective self-report which may not accurately reflect response tendencies and their effectiveness. As such, relatively little is known about when NSSI is deployed, whether it is used in isolation or with other ER responses, and how it alleviates distress relative to other maladaptive ER strategies. The current study examined the temporal sequencing of NSSI relative to other ER efforts and its differential effects on distress reduction. Specifically, we tested whether NSSI and its timing influenced dispositional ER, average ER responses in daily life, and deviations from these averages to predict changes in negative affective states. 22 adults currently engaging in NSSI completed survey measures, structured interviews, and a 14-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol in which 88 NSSI behaviors were recorded. Findings indicated that NSSI was chosen as the first response to distress more often than not and that it served an emotion regulatory function, with increases in negative affect before engagement and reductions following it. Across self-report and EMA, individuals also experienced the highest distress reduction when they deployed a maladaptive ER response before NSSI. In contrast, individuals experienced lower distress alleviation when they utilized higher maladaptive ER than was usual for them. While preliminary, findings have the potential to contribute to research on the temporal order of ER responses in daily life as well as inform treatment targets for NSSI.

Committee: Ilya Yaroslavsky Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Kathleen Reardon Ph.D. (Committee Member); Elizabeth Goncy Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2022, Clinical Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

Food and alcohol disturbance, or “FAD,” involves compensatory behaviors (e.g., food restriction, self-induced vomiting, laxative use, diuretic use, exercise) intended to compensate for the caloric value of alcohol and/or to increase the intoxication effects of alcohol. FAD is linked to dangerous health consequences, such as blackouts and injury, and appears prevalent in college populations. However, due to FAD's recent introduction into empirical literature, relatively little is known regarding these potentially dangerous behaviors. In particular, there is a lack of research examining the temporal antecedents and consequences associated with FAD, which is crucial for clarifying clinical significance and identifying treatment targets. The current project addressed existing limitations by examining the temporal antecedents associated with compensatory FAD, evaluating compensatory FAD's utility as an emotion regulation strategy, and investigating the psychological distress and impairment temporally linked to compensatory FAD. Specifically, this study investigated: 1) if increases in negative affect, body dissatisfaction, and impulsivity precede compensatory FAD and if compensatory FAD is associated with greater alcohol quantity; 2) whether compensatory FAD is an effective strategy to regulate negative affect and body dissatisfaction; and 3) if engagement in compensatory FAD is prospectively associated with subsequent psychological distress and impairment. Approximately 30 adult women who engage in compensatory FAD completed an ecological momentary assessment protocol for three weeks. Results demonstrated that negative affect, body dissatisfaction, and impulsivity did not increase in the hours prior to compensatory FAD, nor did negative affect and body dissatisfaction decrease in the hours following FAD. Alcohol quantity also did not significantly differ across days when compensatory FAD was endorsed, relative to drinking days when compensatory FAD was not endorsed. Fin (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: K. Jean Forney (Advisor); Brian Wymbs (Committee Member); Nicholas Allan (Committee Member); Kate Hibbard-Gibbons (Committee Member); Berkeley Franz (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2021, Medicine: Industrial Hygiene (Environmental Health)

A large number of preventable deaths are attributable to air pollution each year. Ultrafine particles (UFPs, < 100 nm in diameter) are arguably more toxic than larger particles because of their ability to deposit into lung alveoli and translocate into circulation and secondary organs including the brain. Although the biological mechanisms responsible for UFP effects have been posited in toxicological literature, supporting epidemiological findings are inconsistent. Less literature exists for children, though they may be at an increased risk of exposure, representing a significant knowledge gap. Children inhale UFPs at greater deposition rates and incur greater pulmonary or neural structure and function damage due to UFPs. However, UFP exposure at an individual level is not accurately characterized by traditional measurement methods due to the spatial-temporal variability in UFP levels. Therefore, the objective of this dissertation was to employ personal sampling monitors among adolescents to describe short-term UFP exposure across individual time-activity patterns. We used these measurements to estimate the relationship of UFPs on both respiratory and mental health. The first chapter consisted of a literature review on current knowledge in the field, with a focus on pediatrics, while the second and third chapters were devoted to results obtained from the EcoMAPPE study. Results of the literature review revealed there is not sufficient evidence to support an association between UFPs and either respiratory or mental health outcomes. In the current study, adolescents measured personal UFP concentrations over one week (3 hours per day). Pulmonary function tests were conducted at a follow-up clinic visit and were interpreted as percent predicted values. In addition, personal spirometers were employed to collect various lung function values by participants throughout their sampling week. Participants reported respiratory symptoms through a mobile application. Fin (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Tiina Reponen Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Richard Brokamp Ph.D. (Committee Member); Patrick Ryan Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Health

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2021, Psychology

Deficits in interoception (i.e., the perception of internal body states) are associated with multiple forms of self-injurious behavior (SIB) such as disordered eating and non-suicidal self-injury, but the causal role of interoception in SIB remains unclear. Interoceptive attention specifically refers to the ability to intentionally direct attention to internal states. The current study examines daily change in interoceptive attention and its relationship with urges for or engagement in SIB. We predicted that interoception would decrease prior to SIB, and furthermore, that this trajectory would be more steeply negative prior to engagement in versus urges for SIB. Previous research has not distinguished between interoception across modalities such as gastric or pain sensations, and thus we developed visual analog scales to measure interoception across these multiple modalities. Adults (n = 128) engaging in disordered eating and/or non-suicidal self-injury reported on interoception and SIB at baseline and for sixteen days following using a smartphone app. Multilevel models were used to test for within-day, between-day, and between-person effects. The visual analog scales developed for the current study were correlated with existing measures of interoception and provide useful separation between modalities. Hypotheses regarding longitudinal effects were not supported. Interoceptive attention decreased prior to urges for or engagement in SIB; the magnitude of this effect was small, and it appears that interoceptive attention follows a pattern of fluctuation rather than change. There were not significant differences in the trajectory of interoceptive attention prior to urges as compared to episodes of SIB. Average interoceptive attention was higher on SIB occasions compared to occasions with no urge or SIB. Additionally, binary logistic analyses identified a within-person effect of interoception: on occasions when interoceptive attention was higher than an individual' (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: April Smith Ph.D (Committee Chair); Elise Clerkin Ph.D (Committee Member); Joshua Magee Ph.D (Committee Member); Eric Stenstrom Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Master of Arts in Psychology, Cleveland State University, 2021, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

Depression is marked by depressive affects which consists of dysphoric mood reflected by increased levels of negative affect (NA), and anhedonia which is characterized by decreased positive affect (PA). The dysregulation of affective states that characterizes depressive disorders may reflect emotion regulation deficits. Prior work has frequently linked maladaptive responses with depression, while evidence linking adaptive responses and depression has been mixed. Additionally, emerging evidence has shown a degree of specificity between emotion regulation and affect. Therefore, the present study examined whether emotion regulation responses show specificity with NA and PA across 7-day and 12-month periods within a large sample of those with various depression histories. Community dwelling and undergraduate participants (N= 241) completed self-report surveys to assess their trait emotion regulation tendencies, positive and negative affect, and a measure of their depression symptoms in-lab. They then engaged in a 7-day ecological momentary assessment protocol. Lastly, at 4-, 8-, and 12-months post-lab visit, participants completed self-report surveys to assess NA and PA over the past month. As expected, maladaptive responses significantly predicted increased NA and adaptive responses significantly predicted increased PA across all time points. Further, there was specificity as adaptive ER was more strongly linked to trait positive affect and maladaptive ER was more strongly linked to trait negative affect (p's< .001). Results suggest specific ties across maladaptive responses and negative affect as well as adaptive responses and positive affect, though they may be different across measurement type.

Committee: Ilya Yaroslavsky (Committee Chair); Eric Allard (Committee Member); Elizabeth Goncy (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2022, Clinical Psychology (Arts and Sciences)

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is associated with diffuse impairment and constitutes a substantial public health burden. To better understand how social anxiety develops, it is crucial to identify how risk factors contribute to social anxiety. Anxiety sensitivity social concerns (ASSC), defined as the fear of publicly observable anxiety symptoms, and fear of negative evaluation (FNE), defined as distress arising from concerns about negative judgment, are risk factors that may amplify anxiety following social stressors. However, it is unclear how ASSC and FNE influence acute anxiety following stressors in naturalistic settings. In the current study, the impact of ASSC and FNE on anxious arousal (panic symptoms) and anxious apprehension (worry symptoms) following stressors was examined in a sample of community adults (N = 83; M age = 29.66 years, SD = 12.49, 59.0% female) who completed questionnaires five times per day over a two-week period. Dynamic structural equation modeling was used to examine predictors of overall levels of anxiety as well as anxiety following social and nonsocial stressors. ASSC interacted with the presence of social stressors, such that ASSC positively predicted anxious arousal following social stressors. FNE interacted with the presence of nonsocial stressors to predict anxious arousal and anxious apprehension, such that FNE positively predicted anxiety following nonsocial stressors. These findings suggest ASSC may specifically amplify anxious arousal following social stressors, whereas FNE may broadly amplify anxiety following nonsocial stressors.

Committee: Nicholas Allan Ph.D. (Advisor) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

Master of Arts in Psychology, Cleveland State University, 2019, College of Sciences and Health Professions

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is associated with emotion dysregulation, reflected by frequent use of maladaptive responses and infrequent use of adaptive responses. However, studies on emotion regulation (ER) use and BPD have primarily employed survey methodology and it's unclear whether these responses are deployed in daily life. Further, it is unclear if there are differences in the effectiveness of various ER responses among individuals with elevated BPD symptoms. Therefore, this study examined whether BPD symptoms predict increased use of maladaptive strategies, including rumination, suppression, and substance use, and decreased use of adaptive strategies, distraction and problem solving, in daily life. Finally, we explored the effect that BPD symptoms have on ratings of perceived effectiveness of a given ER strategy. Participants were undergraduate students and community adults (N=145) who completed measures of BPD features, demographic information, and a 7-day Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) protocol that measured the frequency of ER strategies and the perceived effectiveness of those strategies during peak times of distress in daily life. Results indicate that elevated BPD symptoms predict increased use of rumination and substance use, decreased use of problem solving, and increased perceived effectiveness of rumination and problem solving.

Committee: Ilya Yaroslavsky Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Goncy Ph.D. (Committee Member); Christopher France Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

PHD, Kent State University, 2018, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

This study sought to expand research regarding emotional experience and eating disorders by examining whether negative and positive emotion differentiation were related to self-reported eating disorder symptomatology and maladaptive eating behaviors. Participants were 118 female undergraduate students who completed a series of questionnaires regarding emotional experience and disordered eating symptomatology at baseline and through experience sampling methods using a smartphone application over the course of seven days. Indices of negative and positive emotion differentiation (NED and PED, respectively) were calculated from daily affect ratings using interclass correlation coefficients. Hierarchical linear regression and multilevel modeling analyses were conducted and yielded three major findings. First, a significant negative relationship was consistently found between NED and eating disorder symptomatology, demonstrating that a poorer ability to differentiate between negative emotions was associated with more severe eating disorder symptoms. Second, daily NED was positively related to daily engagement in maladaptive eating behaviors, arguing that individuals who were better negative emotion differentiators on a day to day basis were more likely to engage in maladaptive eating behaviors, namely dietary restriction. Third, appearance related schema activation was found to moderate the relationship between NED and eating disorder symptomatology, suggesting that poor emotion differentiation paired with high appearance schema activation resulted in more severe eating disorder symptoms and a higher likelihood of engagement in compensatory behaviors. By examining emotion differentiation, this study contributes empirically and clinically significant information regarding a specific facet of emotional experience likely experienced among individuals diagnosed with an eating disorder.

Committee: Janis Crowther PhD (Advisor); Jeffrey Cielsa PhD (Committee Member); Updegraff John PhD (Committee Member); Roxburgh Susan PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Psychology

Master of Arts in Psychology, Cleveland State University, 2018, College of Sciences and Health Professions

This study examined whether Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) features predict increased rumination in response to interpersonal contexts, leading to increased negative affect (NA) outcomes across self-report, experimental, and daily life settings. As BPD is characterized by sustained NA, emotion dysregulation, and pervasive difficulties in interpersonal relationships, interpersonal contexts may present a specific liability for individuals with BPD to ruminate, and subsequently, experience enduring NA. Undergraduate participants (N=119) completed measures of BPD features, dispositional rumination, emotion dysregulation, and both 1) a laboratory protocol that measured spontaneous rumination and affective reactivity to non-interpersonal (sad film clip) and interpersonal (Cyberball) stimuli and 2) a 7-day Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) that measured hourly peak NA, deployment of rumination at time of peak NA, interpersonal context at peak NA, and immediate NA relative to the EMA prompt. Multiple mediation models and general linear models were fit to examine study hypotheses. Results suggest differences in the relationships at trait level compared to state and momentary levels, wherein BPD predicts trait rumination and emotion dysregulation only. However, findings support that interpersonal contexts produce increased rumination that, in turn, may sustain negative affective states. Results suggest the need to include interpersonal considerations as a context for understanding ruminative cycles and affective outcomes.

Committee: Ilya Yaroslavsky Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Goncy Ph.D. (Committee Member); Christopher France Psy.D. (Committee Member); Eric Allard Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2016, Psychology

Binge eating disorder (BED) is a serious condition that negatively affects a large number of individuals. The mechanisms associated with binge eating in BED are not fully understood and subject to debate. The putative mechanism of dietary restraint is especially controversial and has garnered mixed results regarding its relation to BED. This study examined whether individuals with symptoms of BED (“BED-S” for the purposes of this study; N = 42) endorsed more cognitive and behavioral manifestations of dietary restraint than did non-eating disorder controls (N = 46), and whether the cognitive and behavioral manifestations of dietary restraint predicted binge eating behavior. This study used a 7-day, prospective self-monitoring design (i.e., Ecological Momentary Assessment, or EMA) to assess self-reported thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to dietary restraint in BED-S individuals and controls. BED-S participants did not endorse significantly more restraint-related behavior (i.e., delayed eating) or feelings of deprivation than did controls. BED-S participants did endorse significantly more all-or-none thinking and compensatory cognitions when compared to controls. After controlling for baseline demographic and psychological variables on which the two groups differed, a hierarchical linear regression indicated that all-or-none thinking significantly predicted the occurrence of binge eating behavior. Compensatory cognitions also predicted the presence of binge eating behavior, but in the direction opposite to the one hypothesized.

Committee: Amy Przeworski PhD (Committee Chair); Julie Exline PhD (Committee Member); Elizabeth Short PhD (Committee Member); Jeffrey Janata PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

PHD, Kent State University, 2015, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

BUCHHOLZ, LAURA J, Ph.D., August 2015 PSYCHOLOGY AN ECOLOGICAL MOMENTARY ASSESSMENT OF SELF-REGULATION, DIETARY RESTRICTION, AND ALCOHOL USE AMONG COLLEGE WOMEN (108 PP.) Dissertation Advisor: Janis H. Crowther, Ph.D. Research has generally found that women who engage in chronic dieting experience greater problems after drinking than women with less severe dieting, as a result of their increased alcohol consumption (Buchholz et al., 2012). In addition, alcohol also temporarily disrupts a woman's dietary rules, leading to increased caloric intake after drinking (Polivy & Herman, 1976a, 1976b). To regain control of their caloric intake after drinking, women may engage in compensatory strategies such as further caloric restriction, purging, and/or exercise (Piazza-Gardner & Barry, 2013). This study had several aims. Participants were 59 undergraduate women who met criteria for moderate drinking (NIAAA, 2013). For 10 days, women rated their intended dietary restriction, state self-regulation, alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, and post-drinking eating. Results revealed several interesting patterns. Women who rated a greater intention to restrict their caloric intake experienced more problems, as a result of their greater alcohol consumption. Similarly, greater alcohol consumption increased the likelihood of eating after drinking, which in turn was associated with greater subsequent caloric restriction. State self-regulation did not significantly moderate or mediate any of the proposed relationships. This study has important implications for prevention to assist women with risky behaviors, such as encouraging them to consume fewer drinks.

Committee: Janis Crowther Ph.D. (Advisor); Jeffrey Ciesla Ph.D. (Committee Member); John Updegraff Ph.D. (Committee Member); Natalie Caine-Bish Ph.D. (Committee Member); Richard Adams Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Clinical Psychology

PHD, Kent State University, 2014, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Although a considerable body of research has assessed the antecedents and consequences of binge episodes among individuals with Bulimia Nervosa (BN), the maintaining mechanisms of bulimic symptomatology have yet to be fully understood. Furthermore, it is unclear how the daily symptoms of individuals with Purging Disorder (PD) compare to BN. The present study examined the cognitions, emotions, and eating behaviors of individuals with bulimic spectrum disorders and controls using Ecological Momentary Assessment methodology. A sample of 42 women with Bulimic Spectrum disorders (BN: n=33; PD: n=9) and controls (n=31) completed daily diary assessments on mobile devices for 10 days. Results indicated that individuals with BN reported more objective binge episodes (OBEs) than those with PD and controls, yet those with BN and PD did not differ in the frequency of subjective binge episodes (SBEs). Negative affect was predictive of cognitive, yet not behavioral, aspects of dietary restriction, and increases in negative affect and guilt were predictive of OBEs, but not SBEs. Contrary to the affect regulation model, binge episodes did not effectively regulate affect. Furthermore, affect lability was associated with higher levels of eating psychopathology and OBE frequencies. Whereas OBEs predicted subsequent cognitive restraint, neither OBEs nor SBEs predicted post-eating body dissatisfaction, increased negative affect or guilt, or thoughts of exercise or purging. Findings highlight the differential relationships between eating psychopathology, cognitive and behavioral aspects of dietary restriction, and affective changes among individuals with BN and PD, as well as the similarities and differences in BN and PD symptomatology.

Committee: Janis Crowther (Advisor); Joel Hughes (Committee Member); Jeffery Ciesla (Committee Member); Manfred Van Dulmen (Committee Member); Richard Adams (Committee Member); Susan Roxburgh (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Health; Mental Health; Psychology

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2010, Psychology

Emotion regulation is a psychological process integral to mood stabilization as well as psychopathology. Principally, deficits in emotion regulation have been associated with disorders such as depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorders among others. Research has identified specific strategies associated with better and worse mental health outcomes applying classifications as “adaptive” and “maladaptive” respectively. In the current study, the role of flexible use of emotion regulation strategies was examined to determine the validity in designating strategies as either adaptive or maladaptive. Participants reported emotion regulation habits three times daily over a ten day period. Findings indicate that the model of adaptive versus maladaptive use is a significant predictor of mood as well as symptoms of depression. Particularly, the use of an adaptive strategy alone or in conjunction with a maladaptive strategy was associated with significantly higher mood than the use of at least one maladaptive strategy alone. However, few strategies were found to individually account for variance in mood, and no strategy alone was associated with symptoms of psychopathology. Results further suggested that flexibility is not a significant factor in the maintenance of mood or the experience of psychopathological symptoms. Taken together, findings are consistent with the notion that adaptive strategy use is beneficial to mental health; this is bolstered by evidence that, regardless of maladaptive use, using at least one adaptive strategy is associated with significantly higher mood.

Committee: Jennifer S. Cheavens PhD (Advisor); Michael C. Edwards PhD (Committee Member); Daniel R. Strunk PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

PHD, Kent State University, 2010, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Drawing on Festinger's (1954) social comparison theory and its modern applications, this research investigated the relationship between upward appearance-focused social comparisons and body dissatisfaction using Ecological Momentary Assessment, which allows for examination of these phenomena in their natural context. Participants were 94 undergraduate women, who answered questionnaires five times per day for five days using Palm Personal Data Assistant (PDA) devices. Analyses were conducted using Hierarchical Linear Modeling, which allows for examination of longitudinal data both within and across participants. Results revealed a positive relationship between upward, appearance-focused social comparisons and body dissatisfaction. This relationship was moderated by thin-ideal internalization; in addition, feminist beliefs moderated the relationship between upward, appearance-focused social comparisons and body checking, the behavioral component of body dissatisfaction. Although appearance schema activation did not mediate the relationship between social comparison and body dissatisfaction, the related construct of appearance schematicity served as a moderator the social comparison-body dissatisfaction relationship. As a secondary research question, the impact of social comparison and subsequent body dissatisfaction on thoughts of exercising and dieting was examined. Social comparison was found to be related to both types of thoughts, and body dissatisfaction partially mediated these relationships. These findings further illuminate the nature of the relationship between social comparison and body dissatisfaction while expanding its study using novel technology.

Committee: Janis Crowther Ph.D (Committee Chair); Jeffery Ciesla Ph.D. (Committee Member); John Gunstad Ph.D. (Committee Member); Sara Newman Ph.D. (Committee Member); Susan Roxburgh Ph.D. (Committee Member); John Updegraff Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

MA, Kent State University, 2009, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Psychological Sciences

Body dissatisfaction is a multidimensional concept tapping behavioral, cognitive, and affective domains (Rosen, 1992). In addition to being a source of psychological distress, body dissatisfaction is a precursor for eating disorders (Stice, 2002). Exposure to media images of thin women has been shown to increase body dissatisfaction among young women (Groesz, Levine, & Murnen, 2002). Furthermore, research shows that actively comparing weight and shape to a more attractive target is associated with body dissatisfaction (Leahy, Crowther, & Mickelson, 2007). Body image cognitive distortions and socially-prescribed perfectionism may influence social comparisons to media images and peers by strengthening the relationship between social comparisons and body dissatisfaction; however, studies of body image cognitive distortions and socially-prescribed perfectionism as moderators are lacking. Although social comparisons have been studied in the laboratory, naturalistic studies using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) provide results that can be generalized to real-world phenomena. The present study examined the effect of social comparisons in the natural environment. It was hypothesized that making social comparisons to media images and peers would result in an increase in the four dependent variables: body checking, body dissatisfaction, guilt, and negative affect. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that body image cognitive distortions and socially prescribed perfectionism would moderate the relationship between social comparisons to media images and peers and the four dependent variables. Participants were 97 female undergraduates (mean age = 19.51, SD = 3.31; mean BMI = 24.22, SD = 5.32). Following informed consent, all participants completed a battery of questionnaires. Participants were instructed to fill out a diary questionnaire on the PDA whenever the alarm sounded. The alarm sounded at five random times each day for five days. Questionnaires imbedded in the PDA (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Janis Crowther PhD (Advisor) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2007, Psychology/Clinical

Using ecological momentary assessment with female binge eaters, this investigation compared binge eating episodes, regular meals, and non-eating episodes (i.e., random prompts) on mood, dietary restraint, stress, and body dissatisfaction. This study also examined differences in caloric totals of binge episodes and regular meals and whether weight status or size of a binge were associated with the psychological antecedents. It was hypothesized that participants would report greater depression, dietary restraint, stress, and body dissatisfaction immediately prior to binge episodes compared to regular meals and random prompts. Also, it was hypothesized that binges would contain more calories than regular meals and that overweight/obese bingers would report larger binges than normal weight bingers. Eighteen normal weight and 20 overweight/obese female college students meeting the criteria for binge eating disorder or subthreshold binge eating disorder participated in this study. They completed a 3-day food diary and an 11-day binge eating diary. Participants recorded mood, dietary restraint, stress, and body dissatisfaction in response to binges, regular meals, and random prompts for two weeks. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) examined differences among binge episodes, regular meals, and random prompts on the psychological antecedents. GEE also examined the association between weight status and psychological antecedents during binge episodes, regular meals, and random prompts and the association between calorie content of the binge and psychological antecedents. Results showed that depression, stress, and body dissatisfaction were significantly greater prior to binge episodes than prior to regular meals and random prompts. Dietary restraint was significantly greater prior to binge episodes than prior to regular meals. Being normal weight was associated with significantly greater dietary restraint prior to binge eating episodes. Binge eating episodes contained sign (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Robert Carels (Advisor) Subjects: Psychology, Clinical

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2005, Psychology

The present study examined whether ecological momentary assessment (EMA) diary format and social desirability impacted reports of dietary temptations, lapses, coping, and abstinence violation effects (AVEs) by participants in a behavioral weight loss program (BWLP). Participants were 54 sedentary, obese adults in a six-month BWLP who completed 1-week dietary temptation and lapse diaries using open- or closed-formatted electronic diaries. Participants also completed the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS). Participants with closed diaries reported more coping responses than those with open diaries. A social desirability by diary format interaction for AVEs indicated that during lapses, participants using open diaries reported similar numbers of negative AVEs regardless of social desirability. However, participants using closed diaries reported more negative AVEs when lower in social desirability, and reported fewer negative AVEs when higher in social desirability. Findings suggest that diary format and social desirability appear to impact EMA reports of dietary temptations and lapses.

Committee: Robert Carels (Advisor) Subjects: