Long‐term Effects of Dieting: Is Weight Loss Related to Health?

“Success” in dieting interventions has traditionally been defined as weight loss. It is implicit in this definition that losing weight will lead to improved health, and yet, health outcomes are not routinely included in studies of diets. In this article, we evaluate whether weight loss improves health by reviewing health outcomes of long‐term randomized controlled diet studies. We examine whether weight‐loss diets lead to improved cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose and test whether the amount of weight lost is predictive of these health outcomes. Across all studies, there were minimal improvements in these health outcomes, and none of these correlated with weight change. A few positive effects emerged, however, for hypertension and diabetes medication use and diabetes and stroke incidence. We conclude by discussing factors that potentially confound the relationship between weight loss and health outcomes, such as increased exercise, healthier eating, and engagement with the health care system, and we provide suggestions for future research.     

A path analysis of factors associated with distress among first-degree female relatives of women with breast cancer diagnosis.

Patterns and predictors of psychological distress in first-degree female relatives (N = 624) of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients were explored. First-degree female relatives who were high monitors reported greater cancer-specific and general distress than did low monitors. Greater optimism was associated with lower cancer-specific distress. Optimism's effect on general distress was moderated by women's level of monitoring. Greater optimism was associated with lower general distress for both high and low monitors, but the effect was stronger for high monitors than for low monitors. Avoidance and engaged coping were associated with higher distress. A close relationship with the cancer patient was related to higher cancer-specific distress but lower general distress. Further understanding of the process of adjustment in these women awaits longitudinal study.     

Emotional availability and psychosocial correlates among mothers in substance‐abuse treatment and their young infants

Emotional availability (EA) was investigated among low‐income mothers enrolled in substance‐abuse treatment and their young infants (n = 21) compared with a demographically matched group of mother–infant pairs who, by self‐report, were not at risk for substance abuse (n = 27). The mother–infant dyads in the treatment group generally demonstrated poorer EA functioning than those in the comparison group, but few differences between the groups on individual dimensions of EA were significant. This finding was notable considering that mothers in treatment reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms and psychological stress. Treatment effects may have buffered the negative impact of depression and psychological stress on mothers' EA scores. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed as they relate to substance‐abuse‐treatment services for pregnant and parenting women.     

Cigarette smoking and chewing gum: response to a laboratory-induced stressor.

The current study examined the anxiolytic effects of cigarette smoking and chewing gum on urge to smoke, withdrawal, and anxiety in response to a public speaking task in 45 undergraduate smokers. Participants were asked to smoke, chew gum, or do nothing in response to the stressor. Participants completed measures of anxiety, withdrawal symptoms, and urge to smoke pre- and poststressor. The smoke group reported fewer urges to smoke pre- and poststressor than the other groups. The smoke and gum groups reported fewer withdrawal symptoms than did the control group poststressor. Chewing gum was helpful in managing levels of withdrawal symptoms compared with the control group. Groups did not differ on measures of anxiety. Results suggest that smoking in response to a stressor may not reduce levels of affective stress. Furthermore, chewing gum may be helpful in managing withdrawal symptoms in response to a stressor.     

Earthquake Aftershock Anxiety: An Examination of Psychosocial Contributing Factors and Symptomatic Outcomes

This study examined the direct and indirect effects of cognitions and anxiety associated with aftershocks on psychological symptoms (anxiety, depression, acute stress) and daily functioning (general and relationship). Participants were 600 adults from Christchurch, New Zealand. Data collection was approximately four months after the fatal 2011 earthquake. Path analysis was used for modelling. Socioeconomic status was directly associated with appraisals of uncontrollability of response to aftershocks. These cognitions were directly related to aftershock anxiety, which heightened general anxiety, depression, and acute stress symptoms. These symptoms were directly associated with relationship and general life dysfunction. Aftershock anxiety plays a significant role in ongoing psychological distress associated with earthquakes.     

Teacher Nominations of Preschool Children at Risk for Mental Health Problems: how False Is a False Positive Nomination and What Make Teachers Concerned?

Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment - Identification attempts in populations with a low prevalence of problems usually result in a considerable number of false positives. Thus, the...     

Readers’ use of source information in text comprehension

In two experiments, we examined the role of discrepancy on readers’ text processing of and memory for the sources of brief news reports. Each story included two assertions that were attributed to different sources. We manipulated whether the second assertion was either discrepant or consistent with the first assertion. On the basis of the discrepancy-induced source comprehension (D-ISC) assumption, we predicted that discrepant stories would promote deeper processing and better memory for the sources conveying the messages, as compared to consistent stories. As predicted, readers mentioned more sources in summaries of discrepant stories, recalled more sources, made more fixations, and displayed longer gaze times in source areas when reading discrepant than when reading consistent stories. In Experiment 2, we found enhanced memory for source–content links for discrepant stories even when intersentential connectors were absent, and regardless of the reading goals. Discussion was focused on discrepancies as one mechanism by which readers are prompted to encode source–content links more deeply, as a method of integrating disparate pieces of information into a coherent mental representation of a text.