Christina M. Rummell

“So wat do u want to wrk on 2day?”: The Ethical Implications of Online Counseling

Internet counseling is an area of rapid expansion in the field of applied psychology. Internet counseling or psychotherapy involves a variety of activities such as psychoeducation, individual therapy, and automated self-help interventions delivered via the Internet. Although other professional societies such as the National Association of Social Workers, the American Counseling Association, and the National Board of Certified Counselors have tackled the issues of Internet counseling ethics head on, the American Psychological Association has been conspicuously absent from this debate. Yet online therapy clinics are operating, and intervention efficacy is being studied. This discussion provides an overview of online counseling modalities, details the ethical concerns associated with each, and offers suggestions for the ethical practice of online counseling.

Women’s Experiences of Sexual Attention: a Cross-Sectional Study of U.S. University Students

ABSTRACT. Objectives: This cross-sectional investigation of womens experiences of sexual attention examined the role of dispositional and situational variables in how women experienced sexual attention (as positive, negative, or neutral). Methods: Participants were 350 U.S. college women recruited from undergraduate psychology courses. They completed questionnaires on objectified body consciousness, social physique anxiety, self-esteem, body esteem, and social desirability. A subset (N = 275) also reported retrospectively on experiences with sexual attention in 1 of 4 contexts: at a bar/club, at a gym, at school, or at work. It was hypothesized that the context where sexual attention occurs would be associated with how positive or negative the encounter was experienced. Results: The relationship between context and experience of sexual attention approached but did not achieve significance. When controlling for demographic variables and social desirability, self-esteem and body esteem were negatively associated with self-objectification and social physique anxiety. White women younger than the age of 25 with higher body mass index were most likely to engage in self-objectifying behaviors. Themes identified from responses to open-ended questions describe reasons for experiencing sexual attention to be uncomfortable or pleasurable. Conclusions: There is wide variability in womens experiences of sexual attention. Self-esteem and body esteem may protect against self-objectification. Future studies should examine how contextual factors influence womens experiences of sexual attention.

Maladaptive eating behavior assessment among bariatric surgery candidates: Evaluation of the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale

BACKGROUND Eating pathology among bariatric surgery candidates is common and associated with adverse outcomes. However, its assessment is complicated by the inconsistent use of standardized measures. We addressed this by examining the use of the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale (EDDS) in a large bariatric sample (N = 343). OBJECTIVES To evaluate the EDDS among bariatric surgery candidates via examination of: (1) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) and fifth edition (DSM-5) rates of binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, and maladaptive eating behaviors, and (2) the relationship between response biases and self-reported eating disorder symptoms. SETTING Participants were bariatric surgery candidates at a large public hospital in the Midwest. METHODS As part of a larger preoperative evaluation, 343 patients seeking bariatric surgery completed the EDDS and measures of problematic response bias. RESULTS Approximately 16% of the sample met full threshold criteria for binge eating disorder using DSM-5 criteria. Using the DSM-IV-TR, rates were lower but still substantial at 13%. Rates for bulimia nervosa were 8% (DSM-5) and 6% (DSM-IV-TR). The majority (66.1%) of participants reported at least one binge-eating episode per week. The most commonly used compensatory behavior was fasting (20.4%), followed by excessive exercise (11.7%), laxative use (5.6%), and vomiting (1.8%). An inverse relationship between severity of the eating symptomatology and problematic response bias emerged. CONCLUSION The EDDS shows promise as a screening tool that uses diagnostic criteria to provide rates of binge eating and eating psychopathology among surgical candidates. Our findings suggest that subsequent validation studies of this measure are needed, should address potential response bias concerns, and should employ clear definitions of binge eating to promote standardization of eating pathology assessment in the bariatric population.