Laurie B. Mintz

The Eating Attitudes Test: Validation with DSM-IV eating disorder criteria.

The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT; Garner & Garfinkel, 1979) is one of the most widely used self-report eating disorder instruments. Originally developed to diagnose anorexia nervosa, it is often used in nonclinical samples where it has a high false-positive rate, which is likely due to changes in diagnostic criteria. Because the EAT has not been validated with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) criteria, we examined its criterion validity for discriminating between nonclinical women with and without an undifferentiated DSM-IV eating disorder diagnosis. We also examined differences in mean EAT scores among eating-disordered, symptomatic, and asymptomatic participants. Results show that the EAT has an accuracy rate of at least 90% when used to differentially diagnose those with and without eating disorders and that mean EAT scores differed among eating-disordered, symptomatic, and asymptomatic participants.

Questionnaire for Eating Disorder Diagnoses: Reliability and validity of operationalizing DSM—IV criteria into a self-report format.

The Questionnaire for Eating Disorder Diagnoses (Q-EDD) operationalizes eating disorder criteria of the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and differentiates (a) between those with and without an eating disorder diagnosis, (b) among eating-disordered, symptomatic, and asymptomatic individuals, and (c) between those with anorexia and bulimia diagnoses. Three studies examined the Q-EDDs psychometric properties. Convergent validity was supported by correspondence between Q-EDD diagnoses and established inventory scores. Criterion validity was supported by high correspondence between Q-EDD and interview or clinician diagnoses. Incremental validity was supported by greater accuracy of Q-EDD diagnoses than those yielded by an established inventory. Test-retest reliability and interscorer agreement were very good. Future use is discussed.

Body Image and Disordered Eating among Asian American and Caucasian College Students: An Examination of Race and Gender Differences.

Using a sample of Caucasian and Asian American college students, this research examined gender differences within race and race differences within gender with respect to a wide range of body image and disordered eating variables. Results indicated that: (a) regardless of race, women reported more problem attitudes and behaviors than did men; (b) gender differences were similar for Asian Americans and Caucasians, although Caucasians evidenced slightly more gender differences than did Asian Americans; (c) for men, race made no difference; and (d) for women, some race differences were found, with Caucasian women engaging in more dieting and binging behavior and Asian American women reporting lower self-esteem and less satisfaction with their racially defined features. Suggestions for future research are made, and implications are discussed.

Motivation, self-efficacy, physical activity and nutrition in college students: Randomized controlled trial of an internet-based education program

OBJECTIVE MyStudentBody.com-Nutrition (MSB-N) is an internet-based nutrition and physical activity education program for college students. METHOD Students from six universities (N=476) in the U.S. were randomly assigned in the fall of 2005 to one of three groups: MSB-N (Experimental I), MSB-N plus Booster (Experimental II), or an attention placebo control group. RESULTS Experimental I and II group participants increased their fruit and vegetable intake by .33 and .24 servings, respectively, relative to the control group at post-test. Both experimental groups improved their motivation to change eating behaviors (p<.05) and were also more likely to increase their social support and self-efficacy for dietary change (ps<.05). Experimental groups also improved their attitude toward exercise (p<.05), but no behavioral changes in physical activity were noted. CONCLUSION MyStudentBody.com-Nutrition is an effective internet-based program that may have wide applicability on college campuses for nutrition education and promoting change in health behaviors.

Recognizing, assessing, and intervening with problems of professional competence.

THIS ARTICLE WAS AUTHORED by members of a workgroup on students with competence problems associated with the Council of Chairs of Training Councils, which is affiliated with the Education Directorate of the American Psychological Association. Nadine J. Kaslow and Nancy J. Rubin took primary responsibility for crafting this manuscript. Nadine J. Kaslow is the workgroup chair. To the extent possible, the remaining authors are listed in the order of their contributions: Nadine J. Kaslow, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine; Nancy J. Rubin, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, University of Alabama School of Medicine—Tuscaloosa Campus; Linda Forrest, Counseling Psychology and Human Services, University of Oregon; Nancy S. Elman, Psychology in Education, University of Pittsburgh; Barbara A. Van Horne, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Sue C. Jacobs, Applied Health and Educational Psychology, Oklahoma State University; Stephen K. Huprich, Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University; Sherry A. Benton, Counseling Services, Kansas State University; Victor F. Pantesco, Department of Clinical Psychology, Antioch University New England; Stephen J. Dollinger, Department of Psychology, Southern Illinois University; Catherine L. Grus, Education Directorate, American Psychological Services; Stephen H. Behnke, Ethics Office, American Psychological Association; David S. Shen Miller, Counseling Psychology and Human Services, University of Oregon; Craig N. Shealy, Department of Graduate Psychology, James Madison University; Laurie B. Mintz, Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri-Columbia; Rebecca Schwartz-Mette, Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Columbia; Kristi Van Sickle, Department of Psychology, James A. Haley VA Hospital in Tampa; Beverly E. Thorn, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama. CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS ARTICLE should be addressed to Nadine J. Kaslow, Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Grady Hospital, 80 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive, Atlanta, GA 30303. E-mail: nkaslow@emory.edu Professional Psychology: Research and Practice Copyright 2007 by the American Psychological Association 2007, Vol. 38, No. 5, 479–492 0735-7028/07/

Differences Between Lesbians and Heterosexual Women in Disordered Eating and Related Attitudes

12.00 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7028.38.5.479

Motivations to eat: Scale development and validation

ABSTRACT This study examined differences between lesbians and heterosexual women on disordered eating, awareness and internalization of cultural attitudes concerning thinness, and body esteem concerning weight, physical condition, and sexual attractiveness. In this community sample, lesbians exhibited higher levels of body esteem concerning sexual attractiveness and lower levels of internalization of cultural standards. No differences were found on awareness of cultural standards, disordered eating, or body esteem concerning either weight or physical condition. Implications are discussed.

Assessment of Eating Disorders in Women

Abstract Objective : To validate a measure of psychological motivations to eat based on a four-category model of motivations for alcohol use ( Cooper, 1994 ). Motivations specified by this model are: to cope with negative affect, to be social, to comply with others’ expectations, and to enhance pleasure. Method : In Study 1, 40 respondents were queried in an open-ended format about their reasons for eating; responses were content-coded to determine if they fit into the four theorized categories. In Study 2, an item pool was generated based on responses from Study 1, and random halves of a sample of 812 college students were used to test and then validate the hypothesized factor structure. Results : As expected, the final inventory yielded the four theorized categories. The factor structure was generally invariant across gender, and the resulting Motivations to Eat subscales uniquely predicted restrictive eating, bingeing, and purging. Discussion : Prior eating research has focused mainly on coping and compliance motivations. The present study identified four distinct motivations to eat that potentially are important for understanding healthy and disordered eating.

Gender differences in the accuracy of self-reported weight

This article reviews current eating disorder self-report and interview measures and makes recommendations for choosing assessment devices for practice and research. The authors also incorporate overviews of related measures, such as body satisfaction and restrained eating. The presentation of women with eating disorders on measures of general psychological functioning (such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) is also discussed. Implications and recommendations for practice are presented, as are recommendations for future research. The lack of validation of, and urgent need for, eating disorder assessment measures with ethnic minority women is discussed throughout.

Food, mood, and attitude: reducing risk for eating disorders in college women.

To investigate gender as a possible moderator of the validity of self-reported weight data in studies of body image and eating disorders, the discrepancies between reported weights and actual weights were examined in a sample of 186 college students, 90 males and 96 females. Ninety-four percent of the students were Anglo-American, and 6% were African-American, Asian-American, or Hispanic. In comparison to male students, female students underreported their weight to a significantly greater degree. Generally, use of self-reported weight, rather than actual weight, would result in more subjects classified as normal weight or underweight and fewer classified as overweight, using standard methods of classifying individuals into weight categories. And consistent with previous research, normal-weight females perceived themselves as overweight while normal-weight males were more likely to perceive themselves as underweight. Implications for further research on gender differences in eating problems and body image are discussed.