Patti Lou Watkins

A comparison of bibliotherapy and group therapy in the treatment of panic disorder

This study investigated 2 methods of disseminating a cognitive-behavioral intervention for panic disorder (PD). Thirty-six Ss who met diagnostic criteria for PD according to the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule-Revised were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: bibliotherapy (BT), group therapy (GT), or a waiting-list control (WL) condition. Interventions lasted 8 weeks and were followed by a posttest, along with 3- and 6-month follow-up assessments. Results indicated that both the BT and GT treatments were more effective than the WL condition in reducing frequency of panic attacks, severity of physical panic symptoms, catastrophic cognitions, agoraphobic avoidance, and depression and that the BT and GT treatments were more effective in increasing self-efficacy. Both interventions maintained their effects throughout the follow-up periods and produced clinically significant levels of change among the majority of treated Ss.

Muscle Dysmorphia Symptoms and Their Relationships to Self-concept and Negative Affect Among College Recreational Exercisers

This study explored the nature of the relationship between muscle dysmorphia symptoms and self-concept as well as negative affect variables. Female (n = 183) and male (n = 103) college students completed a packet of questionnaires. Data were analyzed using canonical correlation analyses and revealed significant relationships between the sets of variables. Specifically, the variance explained by muscle dysmorphia symptoms in self-concept and negative affect variables was greater than the variance explained in muscle dysmorphia symptoms by self-concept and negative affect. Perceived body attractiveness and social physique anxiety were the individual variables that predominantly contributed to the multivariate relationships.

Muscle Dysmorphia, Gender Role Stress, and Sociocultural Influences: An Exploratory Study

Abstract Our study explored the contribution of gender role stress (GRS) and sociocultural appearance demands to symptoms of muscle dysmorphia (MD) in a college sample of 219 women and 154 men. For women, five GRS subscales, sociocultural appearance demands, age, and frequency of aerobic exercise predicted MD symptoms (model R2 = .33; F(8,210) = 12.81, p < .001); for men, only one GRS subscale, age, and sociocultural appearance demands predicted MD symptoms (model R2 = .40; F(3,150) = 9.52, p < .001). Post hoc analyses revealed that a small number of items explained a substantial portion of the variation, suggesting that MD may be more related to specific perceptions of pressure to attain an attractive body than to global gender role stress.

A comparison of Guided Imaginal Coping and imaginal exposure in the treatment of panic disorder

The present study evaluated the efficacy of a new intervention, Guided Imaginal Coping (GIC), compared to imaginal exposure (IEX), and a waiting-list control (WLC) condition among 24 clinic outpatients meeting DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder (PD) or PD with agoraphobia. GIC was the more consistently effective intervention, with individuals demonstrating significant improvement in frequency and severity of panic attacks (Pas) as well as significant reductions in physiological and subjective arousal to provocative imagery. Individuals in the IEX intervention demonstrated less consistent improvement on the dependent measures, while individuals in the WLC condition essentially remained unchanged. Both GIC and IEX were effective according to a composite measure of clinically significant improvement. However, only GIC was superior to the WLC condition when clinical improvement was defined as zero PAs at follow-up. These findings, while preliminary, suggest that GIC can be added to the armamentarium of effective approaches to treating PD.

Overcoming weight bias: promoting physical activity and psychosocial health

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate Feel WonderFull Fitness (FWF), a program adhering to the Health At Every SizeTM (HAES) paradigm, on larger womens physical activity and psychosocial health. FWF was tailored to overcome barriers based on weight bias. Design/methodology/approach – The study compared “overweight” and “obese” women in FWF to those not currently enrolled in formal exercise programs. Controls were divided into low physical activity (LPA) and moderate physical activity (MPA) conditions based on pretest exercise level. Outcome measures were collected at pretest and three months later at posttest. Findings – FWF participants had the greatest gains in physical activity and demonstrated significantly greater improvements in depression than the LPA group. FWF and the MPA group showed more improved scores on perceived body attractiveness than the LPA group. Scores on an eating disorders measure improved for all groups, but somewhat more so for the FWF group. Improvements occurred in...

Weight-centrism in psychology: Implications and new directions from the field of fat studies

ABSTRACT The authors explore the field of psychology’s adherence to a weight-centric model of health and the implications for propagating weight bias in research, education, and practice. Invoking the field of fat studies, they then suggest ways of reducing weight bias in these domains via use of alternative methods and materials. In doing so, they highlight the weight-neutral Health At Every Size® paradigm as a potential means of guiding scholarship, teaching, and applied work in psychology and related behavioral health science fields.

Manualized Treatment of Panic Disorder in a Medical Setting: Two Illustrative Case Studies

People who experience panic attacks (PAs) typically present to medical settings, concerned that their symptoms signify a life-threatening condition. Despite the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for panic disorder (PD), medical practitioners seldom provide this type of treatment. Physicians may lack the time or expertise to impart such behavioral medicine interventions, while patients may find group or individual CBT too costly even when available. Researchers have begun investigating manualized CBT as a cost-effective alternative when traditional forms of this intervention are prohibited. This article describes two case studies in which women presenting to a medical clinic with PD were treated with 6 weeks of manualized CBT after pharmacotherapy was unsuccessful or unpalatable. Both patients exhibited reductions in panic and depressive symptomatology over baseline levels, along with increases in self-efficacy regarding their ability to manage future PAs. Improvements were maintained over 12 months, supporting continued use of manualized CBT as a supplement or alternative to pharmacological methods of treating PD in the medical setting.

Are type A Tendencies in Women Associated with Eating Disorder Pathology

This study explored the hypothesis that, for women, eating disorder pathology represents a gender-specific way in which some aspects of the Type A response style manifest themselves. Participants were 555 college women who completed measures of Type A beliefs and behavior, along with two eating disorder questionnaires. Women scoring in the clinical range on both eating disorder measures had significantly higher scores on the Type A measures than women falling below clinical cutoff scores. Furthermore, women with eating disorder pathology reported significantly greater distress over discrepancies between current and ideal weight as well as current and ideal grade point average. These findings support the hypothesis that women with eating disorder pathology display Type A characteristics, especially perfectionism and achievement-striving, which extend to the realm of physical attractiveness. These data have implications for preventing and treating eating disorders among college women with multiple aspirations for success.

Weigh your words: An exploration of natural word use in a fat studies course

ABSTRACT The authors explored the natural language use of students enrolled in a university fat studies course using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software. Analytic thinking and clout primarily characterized students’ writings. Cognitive processes accounted for the greatest proportion of word use. Use of social words increased while biological processes word use decreased over time. Within affect words, positive emotions predominated negative emotions. Positive emotions decreased and negative emotions increased during the middle of the course, but positive and negative emotions increased and decreased respectively by course completion. Results are discussed as they reflect the goals of fat pedagogy.

Fat pedagogy: Improving teaching and learning for everyBODY

ABSTRACT Fat pedagogy responds to the need for educational interventions to reduce weight-based oppression. Given the growth in fat studies–related courses, a need exists to identify best practices that improve the experiences of fat students, change the discourse around body weight, shape, and size, and challenge the social hierarchies and structures of dominance that perpetuate weight bias in educational contexts. The articles in this special issue, authored by an international, interdisciplinary group of scholars, describe their efforts to do so in both traditional and nontraditional educational spaces. The authors hope that the writings will inspire readers to develop, implement, and research fat pedagogy in their own educational settings.