Biomedical subjects

D A Williamson

Publications and source records attributed to D A Williamson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2000

Criterion validity of the multiaxial assessment of eating disorders symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this investigation was to establish the criterion validity of the Multiaxial Assessment of Eating Disorders Symptoms (MAEDS). The MAEDS is a brief, comprehensive, self-report measure for the evaluation of eating disorders treatment outcome. It assesses six symptoms associated with eating disorders with subscales for binge eating, purgative behavior, avoidance of forbidden foods, restrictive eating, fear of fatness, and depression. METHOD: To establish criterion validity, we compared the subscale scores of the MAEDS across four eating disorder diagnoses, specified by subtype (bulimia nervosa, purging type; anorexia nervosa, binge-eating/purging type; anorexia nervosa, restricting type; and binge eating disorder). Participants who did not meet the full diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder, but who did meet criteria for a partial syndrome eating disorder, were grouped with the full eating disorder diagnostic subtypes. RESULTS: The criterion validity of the MAEDS was supported by the pattern of subscale scores for the different eating disorder diagnostic groups. Also, with few exceptions, persons diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, in comparison to subthreshold cases of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, had equivalent scores on the subscales of the MAEDS. DISCUSSION: These findings support the criterion validity of the MAEDS and add to a growing literature that questions differences in severity of eating disorder symptoms in full syndrome versus partial syndrome cases.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Psychometric development of a multidimensional measure of weight-related attitudes and behaviors.

Most weight control programs facilitate weight loss by encouraging participants to adopt healthy eating patterns and increase physical activity. There is a need for a relatively brief measure of eating habits and physical activity that could be used to evaluate changes in behavior during weight loss treatment. The purpose of this series of four studies was to develop and validate such a measure, which was subsequently named the Weight Loss Behavior Scale (WLBS). Study 1 (n = 533) included item and scale development and examination of the WLBS's factor structure and internal consistency. Study 2 (n = 226) evaluated the test-retest reliability and convergent validity of its subscales. Study 3 examined their reliability and internal consistency scales in a predominantly overweight sample (n = 36). Study 4 evaluated the WLBS as a treatment outcome measure in a weight loss intervention (n = 50). Study 1 found that the WLBS contained five internally consistent and stable factors: 1) Concern with Dieting and Weight, 2) Exercise, 3) Overeating, 4) Avoidance of Fattening Foods and Sweets, and 5) Emotional Eating. Study 2 found convergent validity for the WLBS by assessing the correlation of its factors/scales with established inventories of comparable constructs, e.g., dietary restraint, disinhibited eating, and physical activity. Test-retest reliability of the five scales was also supported in this second study. In Study 3, support for the internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the WLBS among overweight individuals was found. Study 4 found that all scales significantly changed in the expected directions after a 5-month behavioral weight loss treatment. The findings from this series of studies suggest that the WLBS is a reliable and valid self-report inventory of cognitive and behavioral scales associated with weight control that can be utilized as an outcome measure for weight loss interventions.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Reliability and validity of the Psychosocial Risk Factors Questionnaire (PRFQ).

The Psychosocial Risk Factors Questionnaire (PRFQ) was developed to measure perceived attractiveness, concern about physical appearance, and social pressure for thinness. These variables have been identified as correlates of eating disorder symptoms. The PRFQ has four subscales: Social Pressure for Thinness, Media Pressure for Thinness, Concern for Physical Appearance, and Perception of Physical Appearance. This study assessed its reliability and validity. Seventy-two women enrolled in undergraduate psychology courses completed the PRFQ and measures selected to assess the concurrent validity of its four subscales. Its test-retest reliability was tested in a subsample of 60 women. Support was found for the test-retest reliability, internal consistency and construct validity of all four subscales.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Cognitive bias in eating disorders: interpretation of ambiguous body-related information.

Three groups of women: eating disorder, body dysphoric controls, and nonsymptomatic controls, participated in an experiment testing hypotheses derived from cognitive-behavioral theories of eating disorders. In phase 1, participants encoded ambiguous information via instructions to imagine themselves in a variety of ambiguous situations that involved two types of information: body-related or health-related. On a subsequent memory task, participants in the eating disorder group and the body dysphoric control group recalled imagery of the body-related situations with a fatness interpretation and participants in the nonsymptomatic control group recalled imagery with a thinness interpretation. The three groups did not differ in their interpretation of the health-related situations. In phase 2, participants were instructed to imagine themselves in each body-related situation, but were explicitly instructed to imagine the scenes with either a positive or negative interpretation. Results indicated that the eating disorder and body dysphoric groups were able to change their interpretation of body-related information when instructed to do so.

Adult↗

PubMed2000

Guest dechlorination and covalent capture following photoexcitation of inclusion complexes in water.

Photoexcitation of complexes between cyclophane 1 and 1- or 2-chloronaphthalene in aqueous solution leads to rapid dechlorination of the guest, a reaction driven by electron transfer from host to excited guest. The main photoproducts contain a naphthyl group covalently attached to the host framework. The results may lead to new approaches for remediating water contaminated with chlorinated aromatic compounds.

Chlorine↗

PubMed2000

Trichotillomania: a challenge to research and practice.

This review explores several aspects of trichotillomania relevant to clinical theory and practice. It is concluded that research outlining the phenomenology and patterns of comorbidity of trichotillomania have been advanced significantly in recent years. However, no current diagnostic category appropriately classifies trichotillomania. Research with nonclinical populations suggests that trichotillomania is more common than previously believed and that additional epidemiological research is warranted. Continued elaboration of existing etiological models incorporating varying theoretical perspectives is also encouraged. Assessment of trichotillomania could also be improved by the continued development of reliable and valid standardized measures. This article reviews both pharmacological and psychological treatments for trichotillomania, with an emphasis on habit-reversal training. Though some interventions appear effective in the short-term, reported relapse rates are high and future research on treatment for trichotillomania should focus on improving long-term outcomes. It is clear that despite a recent flux of research centering on trichotillomania, significant challenges for understanding and treating this psychological disorder still exist for researchers and clinicians. Based on this review of the literature, and on our clinical experience with trichotillomania, we propose directions for future research with this underserved psychiatric group.

Diagnosis, Differential↗

PubMed2000

Body image assessment for obesity (BIA-O): development of a new procedure.

OBJECTIVE: A new measure of body image, named the body image assessment for obesity (BIA-O) was developed and tested for reliability and validity in a sample of 1,209 adult men and women. Separate BIA-O procedures were developed for men and women. Current, ideal and reasonable body image estimates of Caucasian and African-American men and women were compared. METHOD: Figural stimuli of males and females were developed for body sizes ranging from very thin to very obese in 18 increments. Participants selected figures that represented estimates of current, ideal and reasonable (a body size that could be maintained over time) body size. Some participants (n=641) also completed two measures of body dissatisfaction in a test of the validity of the BIA-O as a measure of body dissatisfaction. A sample of 77 participants was administered the BIA-O on two occasions to test the test-retest reliability of the BIA-O. RESULTS: The reliability of the BIA-O was supported by test-retest reliability coefficients which ranged from 0.65 to 0.93. Concurrent validity of the discrepancy between current and ideal and current and reasonable body size estimates was supported by positive correlations with two measures of body dissatisfaction. The BIA-O body size estimates of Caucasians and African-Americans, controlled for age and BMI, were compared. As BMI increased, Caucasian men and women were found to select larger current body size estimates in comparison to African-Americans. DISCUSSION: The reliability and validity of the BIA-O were supported. Greater body size dissatisfaction in obese Caucasians, relative to African-Americans of the same size, may be a function of biased estimates of current body size.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Flexible vs. Rigid dieting strategies: relationship with adverse behavioral outcomes.

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that different types of dieting strategies are associated with different behavioral outcomes by investigating the relationship of dieting behaviors with overeating, body mass and mood. A sample of 223 adult male and female participants from a large community were studied. Only a small proportion of the sample (18%) was seeking weight loss treatment, though almost half (49.3%) of the subjects were significantly overweight (body mass index, BMI>30). Subjects were administered questionnaires measuring dietary restraint, overeating, depression and anxiety. Measurements of height and weight were also obtained in order to calculate BMI. Canonical correlation was performed to evaluate the relationship of dietary restraint variables with overeating variables, body mass, depression and anxiety. The strongest canonical correlation (r=0.65) was the relationship between flexible dieting and the absence of overeating, lower body mass and lower levels of depression and anxiety. The second strongest canonical correlation (r=0.59) associated calorie counting and conscious dieting with overeating while alone and increased body mass. The third canonical correlation (r=0.57) found a relationship between low dietary restraint and binge eating. The results support the hypothesis that overeating and other adverse behaviors and moods are associated with the presence or absence of certain types of dieting behavior.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Binge eating disorder: a review of the literature after publication of DSM-IV.

Binge eating disorder (BED) is a syndrome marked by recurrent episodes of binge eating, in the absence of the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors. Since the inclusion of BED in DSM-IV as a Diagnostic Category in Need of Further Research, a great deal of research has been conducted. This paper reviews research on BED since publication of DSM-IV in 1994. We conclude that questions about the definition of BED persist. Furthermore, recent studies which have strictly used the DSM-IV definition of BED have found that the full syndrome is found in less than 3% of obese adults seeking weight loss treatment and occurs in less than 1% of the general adult population. Binge eating is a common symptom associated with obesity, however. BED may be conceptualized as a psychiatric syndrome or it may be viewed as a behavioral symptom associated with obesity. We conclude that clarification of this conceptual issue is needed if research on BED is to progress.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Estimation of food intake: effects of the unit of estimation.

While many studies have shown that individuals under-estimate caloric intake, few studies have examined how individuals estimate intake when using other units of measurement (e.g. cups, ounces). Forty-one women (21 obese, 20 normal weight) ate a test meal of Häagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream and were asked to estimate the amount they ate in both calories and cups. As expected, participants under-estimated intake when asked to estimate how much they ate in calories, but considerably over-estimated their intake when measured in cups. Thus, individuals can both under- and over-estimate how much of the same food they have eaten, depending on the unit they are asked to use for estimation. Obesity and eating disorders treatment programs should take into account the tendency to over-estimate volumetric portions as well as under-estimate caloric intake.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Cognitive bias in eating disorders: implications for theory and treatment.

Research testing the predictions of cognitive-behavioral theory related to the psychopathology of eating disorders has lagged behind treatment outcome research. Central to cognitive theories of eating disorders is the hypothesis that beliefs and expectancies pertaining to body size and to eating are biased in favor of selectively processing information related to fatness/thinness, dieting, and control of food intake or body weight. In recent years, controlled investigations of the predictions of cognitive theories of eating disorders have yielded empirical support for these theories. This paper reviews research which has tested the predictions of cognitive-behavioral theory and discusses the implications of these findings for the treatment of eating disorders. Understanding of information processing biases may assist the clinician in understanding a range of psychopathological features of anorexia and bulimia nervosa, including denial, resistance to treatment, and misinterpretation of therapeutic interventions.

Attitude↗

PubMed1999

Development and validation of a multifactorial treatment outcome measure for eating disorders.

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a brief self-report inventory which could be used to evaluate treatment outcome for anorexia and bulimia nervosa. The Multifactorial Assessment of Eating Disorders Symptoms (MAEDS) was constructed to measure six symptom clusters which have been found to be central to the eating disorders: depression, binge eating, purgative behavior, fear of fatness, restrictive eating, and avoidance of forbidden foods. The factor structure of the MAEDS was found to be stable and it was found to have satisfactory reliability and validity. Normative data were collected so that raw scores could be converted to standardized scores. While still in the experimental stages, the MAEDS shows promise as a valid and economical measure of treatment interventions for anorexia and bulimia nervosa.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Perception of sweetness intensity determines women's hedonic and other perceptual responsiveness to chocolate food.

This study tested 63 women for hedonic and other perceptual responsiveness to a chocolate food. Subjects tasted four chocolate puddings varying in sugar (high and low) and fat (high and low) content and rated them for pleasantness, caloric density, fillingness and flavor intensities. Results emphasised the importance of sweetness intensity in determining women's responses to the chocolate puddings. Women's perception of sweetness intensity was accurate to sugar content and results consistently indicated that their hedonic responses to the chocolate puddings were based on the perceived sweetness. Women's perception of the caloric density of the puddings was based on their perception of the fat content of the puddings; however, interpretation of that finding must be qualified because the subjects' perception of fat content was inaccurate. The women's perception of sweetness intensity accounted for 31% of the variability in fat perception. Women's perception of the intensity of chocolate flavor was also significantly associated with perceived sweetness of the puddings. These data suggest that the women's accurate perception of the sugar content of the chocolate puddings played a primary role in determining their hedonic and other perceptual responses.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Association of dietary restraint and disinhibition with eating behavior, body mass, and hunger.

This study investigated the association of dietary restraint and disinhibition with self-reported and actual eating behavior, body mass, and hunger. A sample of 124 women were categorized into one of four groups based upon high and low scores on measures of Dietary Restraint and Disinhibition using the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire. Half of the participants in each group consumed a high sugar/high fat chocolate pudding as a dietary preload. All participants were given a meal comprised of a standard macaroni and beef product. The interaction of Dietary Restraint and Disinhibition was related to differences in body mass. The Dietary Restraint factor was related to self-reported pathological eating behavior and influenced both perceived hunger and subjective hunger ratings. However, actual eating behavior measured by calories consumed and rate of intake was unrelated to the Dietary Restraint factor. Disinhibition was associated with excessive eating, an increased rate of eating, self-reports of eating disorder symptomatology, and perceived hunger. Hence, actual eating behavior was significantly influenced by the ingestive motivational factor, Disinhibition, but not by the cognitive factor, Dietary Restraint. These data also suggest that the Disinhibition construct is measuring overeating rather than disinhibited eating which implies the disruption of Dietary Restraint.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Prevalence of binge eating disorder in obese adults seeking weight loss treatment.

Binge eating has been identified as a common problem in samples of obese persons. Earlier studies found that approximately 30% of participants presenting for weight loss treatment could be diagnosed with Binge Eating Disorder (BED). This study investigated the prevalence of BED using the Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns (QEWP) and the Interview for the Diagnosis of Eating Disorders (IDED) in a sample of 468 obese adults seeking weight loss treatment at two research facilities. The study found that only a small percentage of the participants met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, 4th Revision (DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria for BED using either the IDED (1.3%) or QEWP (7.3%). A larger percentage of the sample (10.7% based on the IDED and 20.5% based on the QEWP) reported binge eating, but did not endorse all criteria necessary to warrant a diagnosis of BED. The primary finding of the study was that the prevalence of BED in treatment seeking obese adults was much lower than was reported in previous studies. Also, there was significant discrepancy in prevalence rates of BED as defined by self-report and interview assessment methods, with the interview method yielding lower estimates of prevalence. These findings suggest that the prevalence of BED may be lower than estimates of earlier reports. We recommend that future studies of BED use reliable and valid interview methods and that this research focus on more diverse populations, including men and a variety of racial and ethnic groups.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Development of a body image assessment procedure for children and preadolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Researchers have identified eating disorders among prepubertal children; therefore, there is a need for the development of reliable and valid measures of body image in children. METHOD: In this investigation, a sample of 257 children ages 8 to 13 in Grades 3 through 7 were administered the Body Image Assessment Procedure for Children's (BIA-C) or the Body Image Assessment Procedure for Preadolescents (BIA-P) and the Children's Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT). RESULTS: Support for the reliability and validity of the BIA-C and BIA-P was found. The study also found that separate norms were needed for the male and female BIA-C and BIA-P procedures. DISCUSSION: Examination of dieting behaviors and eating attitudes of these subjects highlights the fact that children at very young ages have acquired a clear preference for a thin body size; thus, there is a need for continued development of assessment measures for this population.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Evidence for attention to threatening stimuli in depression.

A modified version of the attentional deployment task developed by MacLeod, Mathews and Tata (1986) [Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 95, 15-20] was used to examine two issues: first, whether there was any evidence of attentional bias in depressed subjects, rather than in anxious subjects alone; and second, whether attentional effects would occur in the location of stimuli that could not be identified. Subjects were presented with pairs of words, one above the other, and the extent to which attention favored threatening rather than neutral words was assessed from the latency to detect a dot in the same location of one them. These detection latencies showed that depressed, but not anxious subjects, were selectively attentive to socially threatening words. There was also evidence for attentional effects in the anxious subjects favoring physically threatening words. Furthermore, panic disorder patients were preferentially attentive to the location of physically-threatening stimuli that could not be accurately identified. Overall, the results provide further evidence that emotionally disturbed subjects tend to orient attention towards personally-relevant emotional stimuli. However, the previous hypothesis that this attentional bias occurs only in anxiety, and not in depression, was not supported.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Behavioral therapy for obesity.

The research literature pertaining to behavior therapy for obesity is reviewed. Procedures used in behavioral treatment programs are described, and treatment outcome research is reviewed. During the past 30 years, average weight loss has increased, but the problem of regaining body weight following treatment has persisted. It was concluded that obesity should be treated as a chronic health problem and that behavior therapy may have an important role in assisting some obese persons to maintain weight loss if they are enrolled in very long-term treatment programs.

Behavior Therapy↗