Yoel Elizur

Psychosocial predictors of weight loss and psychological adjustment following bariatric surgery and a weight-loss program: the mediating role of emotional eating.

OBJECTIVE To examine a structural equation model of the effects of personal and interpersonal factors on treatment outcome of bariatric surgery and weight-loss program. METHOD Forty-four participants of the surgery group and 47 participants of the diet group completed questionnaires before treatment and 1 year afterward. Predictor measures are as follows: social support, motivation for control, sense of control, self-esteem, neuroticism, fear of intimacy, and emotional eating (EE). OUTCOME MEASURES Weight loss, quality of life, and mental health. RESULTS Neurotic predisposition (NP), a latent variable indicated by neuroticism, low self-esteem, and fear of intimacy, had an effect on weight loss that was fully mediated by EE. NP also had an effect on quality of life improvement that was fully mediated by EE and weight loss in both treatment groups. DISCUSSION Both NP and EE predict outcome of obesity treatments, but EE is the more proximal variable that mediates the effect of NP.

Anorexia nervosa, perfectionism, and dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4).

The dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4), a well‐characterized, polymorphic gene, is an attractive candidate for contributing risk to disordered eating and anorexia nervosa (AN). We tested association using UNPHASED for 5 DRD4 polymorphic loci, 3 promoter region SNPs (C‐521T, C‐616G, A‐809G), the 120 bp promoter region tandem duplication and the exon III repeat, in 202 AN trios and 418 control families. Since perfectionism characterizes AN, we tested these five loci for association with the Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (CAPS) in the AN and control groups. Single locus analysis showed significant association between the ‘C’ C‐521T allele and AN. Haplotype analysis also showed significant association, particularly a 4‐locus haplotype (exon III&120 bp repeat&C‐521T&A‐809G). Association was also observed between DRD4 and CAPS scores both for AN and control subjects. The insulin‐like growth factor 2 (IGF2) and the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor (AVPR1a), previously shown to be associated with disordered eating, were also associated with CAPS scores. Three genes associated with AN were also associated with perfectionism. Personality traits are potential endophenotypes for understanding the etiology of eating disorders and one of the several pathways to eating pathology may be mediated by the impact of DNA sequences on perfectionism.

Link Between Vasopressin Receptor AVPR1A Promoter Region Microsatellites and Measures of Social Behavior in Humans

Abstract. Two markers near the vasopressin receptor (AVPR1A) gene located on chromosome 12q14-15 were tested for linkage to two complex social behaviors in humans: Sibling relationships and self-presentation style. Self-report questionnaires were administered to 552 same-sex siblings from 248 families. Suggestive linkage was observed between both microsatellites (RS1 and RS3) and the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire Conflict scale (RS1: χ2 = 13.65, LOD = 2.96, p = .0001; RS3: χ2 = 14.54, LOD = 3.16, p = .00007) and the Concern for Appropriateness Scale Self-presentational style (RS1: χ2 = 8.25, LOD = 1.79 p = .002; RS3: χ2 = 8.81, LOD = 1.91, p = .002. The current results provide the first provisional evidence that the vasopressin receptor mediates social behavior in humans and links a specific genetic element to perceived sibling interactions.

The Psychometric Properties of the Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (RSMS) and the Concern for Appropriateness Scale (CAS) in Hebrew

We examined the factor structure, reliability, and construct validity of a Hebrew translation of Lennox and Wolfe’s Revised Self-Monitoring Scale (RSMS) and Concern for Appropriateness Scale (CAS) in a large Israeli population sample. A total of 1,294 individuals (1,010 females and 284 males), divided into two samples, completed the RSMS, the CAS, the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire Harm Avoidance Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. With the exception of RSMS Item 12, the total and subscale structure of the English versions of the scales was replicated in both samples. Internal consistencies compared very favorably with those of the original scales. The CAS and the RSMS were moderately correlated yet appeared to be distinct, correlating as expected in opposite directions with harm avoidance and self-esteem. Confirmatory factor analysis justified the use of the RSMS and the CAS as separate scales with two subscales in each. Whereas the fit of our data to the RSMS was very good, the fit to ...

A gender-moderated model of family relationships and adolescent adjustment.

The objective of this study was to explain why adolescent girls with conduct problems (CP) are more at risk than boys to develop emotional distress (ED) in a sample composed of Israeli-born and immigrant youth from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union (n = 305, ages 14–18). We tested a structural equation model and found a very good fit to the data for both immigrant and nonimmigrant groups. The hypothesized effects of gender, CP, and parent–child relationships on ED were significant, whereas the effect of family discord was mediated by parent–child relationships. Subsequently, we used multiple-group analyses to test the two interaction hypotheses. We found significantly higher associations between CP and family discord and between ED and negative parent–child relationships in girls compared to boys.

Protective self-presentation style: association with disordered eating and anorexia nervosa mediated by sociocultural attitudes towards appearance.

OBJECTIVE: We tested the hypothesis that a protective self-presentation style (Lennox and Wolfe, 1984) is associated with eating pathology and anorexia nervosa (AN) and that this association is mediated by sociocultural attitudes towards appearance emphasizing the thin ideal. METHOD: We compared the protective-presentation style of women with AN (N=17), partially recovered women (N=110), fully recovered women (N=73), and female controls (N=374). RESULTS: Ill women had a more protective self-presentation style than partially or fully recovered women, who in turn had a more protective self-presentation style than controls. Sociocultural attitudes towards appearance fully mediated the association between protective self-presentation and disordered eating. CONCLUSIONS: Protective self-presentation may therefore be a risk factor for AN and/or a prognostic factor. Implications for therapy and prevention are discussed.

Adherence to Honor Code Mediates the Prediction of Adolescent Boys' Conduct Problems by Callousness and Socioeconomic Status

Although there is considerable evidence that culture-related factors are associated with aggressive behavior, their effect on the development of conduct problems (CP) has been insufficiently studied. This study focused on adherence to honor code (AHC), defined by the endorsement of honor culture attitudes at the identity narrative level of personality assessment, as a mediator in the prediction of CP by callousness, insecure attachment, and socioeconomic status. Our sample of 136 adolescent boys (M age = 15.02, SD = 1.48) oversampled high- and low-level Israeli schools, both academically and behaviorally. Structural equation modeling supported the theoretical model: AHC was a significant predictor of CP and partially mediated the prediction of CP by callousness and socioeconomic status. Insecure attachment predicted AHC but was not an independent predictor of CP.

Development and Dissemination of Collaborative Family-Oriented Services: The Case of Community/Day Residential Care in Israel

The initiation, development, and dissemination of family-oriented programs are a unifying thread that highlights family therapys contribution to the fields of mental/physical health and social services. These demanding tasks require an ecosystemic vision, a supportive larger context, and a range of skills. This article delineates the evolution of community and day residential care in Israel by examining processes at different ecological levels: the formulation and implementation of national social policy, the follow-up of two family-oriented facilities, one of which thrived while the other eventually closed, and the residential care provided to 1 family with 3 children. The analysis of this multilevel data highlights 4 facilitating/obstructing factors that have had major impact on family-oriented programs: support by both national and local sociopolitical-professional administration, programs management autonomy, staff training, support and development, and effective facility leadership that establishes and nurtures family-oriented organizational structure and culture.

Sex differences in parental reaction to pediatric illness.

The ‘Tend-and Befriend’ hypothesis claims that whereas the response of males to stress is Fight-or-Flight, females respond with Tend-and-Befriend. We tested this hypothesis with a sample of 110 couples whose children had undergone neurosurgery. Both mothers and fathers answered questionnaires measuring levels of tending, befriending, stress, anxiety, and depression. As hypothesized, mothers scored higher than fathers did on all measures. However, according to the Tend-and Befriend hypothesis, the sex difference in tending and befriending should be more pronounced in couples suffering from high-stress in comparison to couples suffering from low-stress. This hypothesis was not supported by the data. We suggest that the heightened tending and befriending of women is not a reaction to stress, instead it is a persistent maternal characteristic. Moreover, we suggest that maternal anxiety and depression result from a heightened maternal sensitivity, selected for caregiving. The study results imply that support interventions should be aimed mostly at mothers, since they experience more distress, in comparison to fathers.

Parental Investment in Children with Chronic Disease: The Effect of Child's and Mother's Age

Parents do not invest their resources in their children equally. Three factors which elicit differential parental investment are the parents reproductive value, the childs reproductive value (RV), and the impact of the investment on the child (II). As the child matures, his RV increases while the II may decrease. This raises a question regarding the favored strategy of investment by child age. It was hypothesized that different categories of parental investment generate different age-based strategies. Emotional investment, such as maternal worrying for the childs health, was hypothesized to increase with the childs age, while direct care was hypothesized to decrease with the childs age. Both categories were hypothesized to increase with the mothers age at childbirth. 137 Israeli mothers of children with chronic neurological conditions reported levels of worrying for their child and levels of change in direct care. Maternal worrying about the childs health was positively associated with the childs age at diagnosis and the severity of his illness, and negatively associated with the time from diagnosis. An increase in direct care was positively associated with maternal age at childbirth and illness severity, and negatively associated with the time from diagnosis, and the duration of the marriage. Contrary to the hypothesis, the childs age had no effect on changes in direct care. It appears that in mothers of children with adverse neurological conditions, child and maternal age effect parental investment differently. While the childs age is related to maternal worrying about his health, the mothers age at childbirth is related to changes in direct care.