Steffanie Sperry

Cosmetic surgery reality TV viewership: relations with cosmetic surgery attitudes, body image, and disordered eating.

Background:According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (2007), the number of cosmetic procedures has increased to over 10 million in 2006, representing a 48% increase from 2000. This increase in cosmetic surgery prevalence is paralleled by a surge in reality cosmetic surgery television programming. Methods:The current study examined the relationships among cosmetic surgery reality TV viewership, cosmetic surgery attitudes, body image, and disordered eating in a sample of 2057 college women. Results:Viewership of reality cosmetic surgery shows was significantly related to more favorable cosmetic surgery attitudes, perceived pressure to have cosmetic surgery, past attainment of a cosmetic procedure, a decreased fear of surgery, as well as overall body dissatisfaction, media internalization, and disordered eating. Conclusions:Although the current study is correlational, it provides a framework for future hypothesis testing and elucidates the link between contemporary media influences, body dissatisfaction, disordered eating, and cosmetic surgery attitudes. Additionally, the findings indicate that surgeons may want to assess the relevance of cosmetic surgery reality TV viewership for patients’ attitudes towards and expectations about cosmetic surgery.

Appearance Motives to Tan and Not Tan: Evidence for Validity and Reliability of a New Scale

BackgroundRisk for skin cancer is increased by UV exposure and decreased by sun protection. Appearance reasons to tan and not tan have consistently been shown to be related to intentions and behaviors to UV exposure and protection.PurposeThis study was designed to determine the factor structure of appearance motives to tan and not tan, evaluate the extent to which this factor structure is gender invariant, test for mean differences in the identified factors, and evaluate internal consistency, temporal stability, and criterion-related validity.MethodFive-hundred eighty-nine females and 335 male college students were used to test confirmatory factor analysis models within and across gender groups, estimate latent mean differences, and use the correlation coefficient and Cronbach’s alpha to further evaluate the reliability and validity of the identified factors.ResultsA measurement invariant (i.e., factor-loading invariant) model was identified with three higher-order factors: sociocultural influences to tan (lower order factors: media, friends, family, significant others), appearance reasons to tan (general, acne, body shape), and appearance reasons not to tan (skin aging, immediate skin damage). Females had significantly higher means than males on all higher-order factors. All subscales had evidence of internal consistency, temporal stability, and criterion-related validity.ConclusionsThis study offers a framework and measurement instrument that has evidence of validity and reliability for evaluating appearance-based motives to tan and not tan.

Genetic and environmental influences on thin‐ideal internalization

OBJECTIVE Current research on the etiology of thin-ideal internalization focuses on psychosocial influences (e.g., media exposure). The possibility that genetic influences also account for variance in thin-ideal internalization has never been directly examined. This study used a twin design to estimate genetic effects on thin-ideal internalization and examine if environmental influences are primarily shared or nonshared in origin. METHOD Participants were 343 postpubertal female twins (ages: 12-22 years; M = 17.61) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Thin-ideal internalization was assessed using the Sociocultural Attitudes toward Appearance Questionnaire-3. RESULTS Twin modeling suggested significant additive genetic and nonshared environmental influences on thin-ideal internalization. Shared environmental influences were small and non-significant. DISCUSSION Although prior research focused on psychosocial factors, genetic influences on thin-ideal internalization were significant and moderate in magnitude. Research is needed to investigate possible interplay between genetic and nonshared environmental factors in the development of thin-ideal internalization.

Cultivating Healthy Eating, Exercise, and Relaxation (CHEER): A Case Study of a Family-Centered and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Obese Adolescents at Risk for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease

Attrition from weight management programs and difficulty maintaining success are of significant concern for pediatric overweight patients. Patient and family variables associated with completing and maintaining outcomes from a healthy weight program include understanding and buy-in for treatment, parental motivation, and valuing of weight loss to quality of life. Such findings highlight the need for comprehensive intervention that involves family members and addresses motivation and relapse prevention. The present study describes a family-centered and mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral intervention implemented with a 15-year old, clinically obese male with associated symptoms including elevated blood pressure and sleep apnea. This pilot implementation resulted in improved pre–post outcomes in regard to weight, blood pressure, and health-promoting behaviors. Improvements in healthy lifestyle were maintained 1-year post-treatment. These results add to the growing literature on ecologically relevant intervention for obese adolescents at risk for future health complications. Technical issues and clinical implications related to recruitment and retention are discussed.

A case report demonstrating the efficacy of a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral therapy approach for treating anxiety, depression, and problematic eating in polycystic ovarian syndrome

Despite elevated prevalence of anxiety and depression among women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), there is a dearth of evidence-based psychotherapies to treat mood-related symptoms among this population. This case report describes the efficacy of The PCOS Workbook in treating symptoms of anxiety, depression, and problematic eating in a 19-year-old female previously diagnosed with PCOS. Using the cognitive-behavioral framework presented in the workbook, the participant experienced a significant reduction in symptoms of anxiety, depression, problematic eating, and general psychosocial dysfunction while simultaneously losing a significant amount of weight during treatment. Six months after the termination of treatment, the participant maintained several improvements in psychological functioning, although she did report a resumption of problematic eating and experience weight regain. These findings provide initial empirical support for the efficacy of this manualized psychotherapy at improving psychosocial functioning in women with PCOS. Recommendations on ways to best utilize this resource and enhance its long-term efficacy, particularly when intervening for problematic eating, are also discussed.