Inês A. Trindade

Body image and college women’s quality of life: The importance of being self-compassionate:

This study explored self-compassion as a mediator between body dissatisfaction, social comparison based on body image and quality of life in 662 female college students. Path analysis revealed that while controlling for body mass index, self-compassion mediated the impact of body dissatisfaction and unfavourable social comparisons on psychological quality of life. The path model accounted for 33 per cent of psychological quality of life variance. Findings highlight the importance of self-compassion as a mechanism that may operate on the association between negative body image evaluations and young women’s quality of life.

The impact of body image-related cognitive fusion on eating psychopathology.

Recent research has shown that cognitive fusion underlies psychological inflexibility and in consequence various forms of psychopathology. However, the role of cognitive fusion specifically related to body image on eating psychopathology remained to be examined. The current study explores the impact of cognitive fusion concerning body image in the relation between acknowledged related risk factors and eating psychopathology in a sample of 342 female students. The impact of body dissatisfaction and social comparison through physical appearance on eating psychopathology was partially mediated by body image-related cognitive fusion. The results highlight the importance of cognitive defusion in the treatment of eating disorders.

Getting entangled with body image: Development and validation of a new measure

OBJECTIVES Several studies have highlighted the role of cognitive fusion on human suffering and a wide range of psychopathological conditions. Namely, this process has been regarded as a core aspect in eating disorders. Nevertheless, the study of cognitive fusion on eating psychopathology is scarce and a measure that specifically concerns body image was still to be created. The present study aimed therefore at developing and validating such measure, the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire - Body Image (CFQ-BI). DESIGN AND METHODS The current study was conducted using different samples of both genders, collected in the general and student populations. The dimensionality of the CFQ-BI was tested through an exploratory factor analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The scales internal reliability and other psychometric qualities were also analysed. RESULTS The CFQ-BIs final structure was one-dimensional and comprised 10 items that assess body image-related cognitive fusion. This final structure explained a total of 73.41% of the variance. The adequacy of the questionnaire was corroborated through a CFA which revealed that CFQ-BI presents good global and local adjustment values and goodness-of-fit indices. Results also showed that the CFQ-BI holds a very good internal consistency (α = .96), convergent, divergent and temporal reliabilities, and is able to discriminate cases from non-cases of eating psychopathology. CONCLUSIONS The CFQ-BI was thus established as a short, robust, and reliable measure of body image-related cognitive fusion. This new measure may correspond to a significant contribution to research and clinical practice in the field of body image and eating-related difficulties. PRACTITIONER POINTS A new measure of body image-related cognitive fusion (CFQ-BI) was developed. The CFQ-BI was proved to be a short, robust, and reliable measure. Body image-related cognitive fusion was strongly linked to eating psychopathology. CFQ-BI may be useful in eating psychopathologys research and clinical practice.

Turning eating psychopathology risk factors into action: the pervasive effect of body image-related cognitive fusion

Body image dissatisfaction and unfavourable social comparisons are significant risk factors to eating psychopathology. Nevertheless, the impact of these negative experiences depends on the cognitive and emotional processes involved. Previous research has shown that cognitive fusion is a nuclear process linked to psychological inflexibility, but its role on body image and eating difficulties remains unclear. This study aims to explore a model of the mediational role of body image-related cognitive fusion (CF-BI) on the relationship between body dissatisfaction, unfavourable social comparisons, and eating psychopathology in a sample of 345 female students. Results from path analyses show that the impact of unfavourable social comparisons on eating psychopathology is fully mediated by CF-BI. Moreover, CF-BI also revealed a mediational effect on the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and the severity of eating symptoms, in spite of the fact that a direct effect of body dissatisfaction still exists. The tested model highlights the crucial role that cognitive fusion, in the specific domain of body image, plays in the relationship between risk factors and the severity of disordered eating attitudes and behaviours. Furthermore, these findings present empirical support for the relevance of addressing acceptance and cognitive defusion techniques to prevent and treat eating disorders.

Exploring drive for thinness as a perfectionistic strategy to escape from shame experiences.

Perfectionistic self-presentation defines the attempt at presenting the self as perfect through the public concealment of personal defects and/or through the display of attributes perceived as capable to gather positive attention of others. Although perfectionism has long been considered a central aspect of eating psychopathology mediational studies between this construct and these conditions are scarce. This study aimed at examining the mediational role of body image-related perfectionistic self-presentation in the effects of external shame and internal shame on drive for thinness, in a sample of young women. Results revealed body image-related perfectionistic self-presentation as a significant mediator (p < .05) of the relationships between external and internal shame, and drive for thinness. Furthermore, 86% and 69% of the effects of external shame and internal shame, respectively, were explained by their indirect effects through body image-related perfectionistic self-presentation on drive for thinness (95% CI). These results highlight that the control over eating may emerge as a maladaptive strategy to deal with shame when mediated by an endorsement in the belief that presenting a perfect body image is crucial to be accepted and valued by others. Study findings suggest that this perfectionistic strategy should be targeted while treating eating psychopathology.

Defensive Responses to Early Memories with Peers: a Possible Pathway to Disordered Eating.

Childhood and early adolescence experiences, specifically those that provide an adulthood enriched with warm and safe memories, are consistently stated in literature as powerful emotional regulators. In contrast, individuals who scarcely recall positive experiences may begin to believe that others see the self as inferior, inadequate and unattractive. In order to cope with a perceived loss of social desirability and achieve others acceptance, individuals may become submissive, and women, particularly, may resort to the presentation of a perfect body image. Both mechanisms are defensive responses suggested to be associated with mental health difficulties, particularly disordered eating behaviors. The present study aimed at exploring the association between early memories of warmth and safeness with peers and eating psychopathology. Also, a path analysis was conducted to investigate the mediator role of submissiveness and perfectionistic self-presentation focused on body image on this association, in a sample of 342 female students. Results revealed that the absence of early positive memories with peers holds a significant effect over eating psychopathologys severity, and also that this effect is mediated through submissiveness and body image-related perfectionistic self-presentation. This model accounted for 13%, 19% and 51% of submissiveness, perfectionistic self-presentation of body image and eating psychopathologys variances, respectively, and showed excellent model fit.

Inflammatory bowel disease: The harmful mechanism of experiential avoidance for patients’ quality of life

This study aimed to test the effects of inflammatory bowel disease symptomatology and associated medical complications on physical and psychological quality of life and to explore whether these relationships are mediated by experiential avoidance. A total of 200 inflammatory bowel disease patients reported demographic and medical data and completed self-report instruments. Results revealed that the tested model presented an excellent fit, explaining 51 per cent of physical quality of life and 53 per cent of psychological quality of life. Inflammatory bowel disease–associated complications directly impacted on physical quality of life, and experiential avoidance significantly mediated the relationships between inflammatory bowel disease symptomatology and physical and psychological quality of life. These results highlight the importance of implementing psychological interventions for inflammatory bowel disease patients.

Shame and emotion regulation in inflammatory bowel disease: Effects on psychosocial functioning:

Although patients with inflammatory bowel disease seem to be prone to high levels of shame, the mechanisms behind the impact of chronic illness–related shame on patients’ functioning have not been explored yet. This study aims to address these gaps using a sample of 161 patients with inflammatory bowel disease who completed self-report measures on an online survey. The results from path analyses showed that chronic illness–related shame presented direct and indirect effects on psychological health (R2 = .66) and social relationships (R2 = .46). The indirect effects were mediated by experiential avoidance and uncommitted living. Possible explanations to these findings and clinical implications are discussed.

What makes dietary restraint problematic? Development and validation of the Inflexible Eating Questionnaire

This study presents the Inflexible Eating Questionnaire (IEQ), which measures the inflexible adherence to subjective eating rules. The scales structure and psychometric properties were examined in distinct samples from the general population comprising both men and women. IEQ presented an 11-item one-dimensional structure, revealed high internal consistency, construct and temporal stability, and discriminated eating psychopathology cases from non-cases. The IEQ presented significant associations with dietary restraint, eating psychopathology, body image inflexibility, general psychopathology symptoms, and decreased intuitive eating. IEQ was a significant moderator on the association between dietary restraint and eating psychopathology symptoms. Findings suggested that the IEQ is a valid and useful instrument with potential implications for research on psychological inflexibility in disordered eating.

Falling in the traps of your thoughts: The impact of body image-related cognitive fusion on inflexible eating

Literature has shown that young women present high rates of body dissatisfaction, independently of their weight. Therefore, dieting may emerge as a strategy to control ones body image. Nonetheless, it also seems to be a source of great suffering rather than a solution. The aim of the present study was to explore what variables explain the inflexible engagement in eating rules. Our hypothesis is that an inflexible eating pattern results not exclusively from weight and body dissatisfaction and shame but mainly from emotional regulation processes (such as body image-related cognitive fusion). The sample of the present study comprised 659 female college students, aged between 18 and 25 years old, who completed self-report measures. Results revealed that the majority of the normal-weight participants desired to lose weight and to have a thinner body shape. Findings from the path analyses demonstrated that the effects of weight dissatisfaction and shame on the inflexible adhesion to eating rules were fully mediated through the mechanism of body image-related cognitive fusion. Furthermore, the effect of body dissatisfaction was partially operated by this process. This model was controlled by BMI and explained a total of 36% of inflexible adhesion to eating rules. In conclusion, these findings suggest that it is when a woman gets fused and entangled with her body image-related thoughts that these unwanted inner events most impact on her eating rules. This study thus offers important new data for research and clinical practise in the field of body image and eating difficulties.