Body Dysmorphic Disorder among Diverse Racial/Ethnic and Sexual Orientation Groups: Prevalence Estimates and Associated Factors

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a psychological disorder characterized by excessive appearance concerns. This cross-sectional study assessed an undergraduate sample of 1,041 participants from a southeastern American university to estimate an overall prevalence of BDD; investigate differences by gender, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation; and also examine the contributions of other related constructs including appearance comparison, obligatory exercise, body image disturbance, and self-esteem. Results indicated an overall prevalence of 4.9%. Women endorsed more symptoms of BDD than men, among women Caucasians and Latinas endorsed more symptoms than African Americans, and sexual minorities endorsed more symptoms than heterosexuals. Overall, BDD symptomatology was negatively correlated with body satisfaction and self-esteem and positively correlated with appearance comparison and obligatory exercise.     

Interest and Beliefs About BRCA Genetic Counseling Among At-Risk Latinas in New York City

Background: Latinas are less likely to use genetic services (counseling and testing) for hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancer risk compared to other ethnic groups. Meanwhile, little is known about barriers to genetic counseling among Latinas at increased risk of inherited breast cancer. Methods: A two-phase pilot study was conducted to examine interest, barriers and beliefs about BRCA genetic counseling among at-risk Latinas in New York City and explore the potential for developing a culturally-tailored narrative educational tool for use in future studies. Phase 1 included quantitative telephone interviews (N = 15) with bilingual participants with a personal diagnosis at a young age and/or family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer. Quantitative results informed development of a narrative prototype educational presentation viewed by a subset of participants (N = 10) in Phase 2 focus groups. Results: Despite barriers, including lack of awareness/knowledge, concerns related to learning cancer risks of family members, and concerns about cost/health insurance, participants reported positive attitudes, beliefs and interest in learning about BRCA genetic counseling. Further, significant increases in knowledge were demonstrated from pre-post presentation (p = 0.04). Conclusion: There is an unmet need to educate at-risk Latinas about BRCA genetic counseling. Culturally-tailored educational materials including narratives may increase knowledge about BRCA genetic counseling among this underserved group. The effectiveness of these approaches should be tested in future research with larger samples.     

The effects of ambiguous appearance-related feedback on body image,mood states,and intentions to use body change strategies in college women: An experimental study

The current study evaluated the effects of receiving ambiguous appearance-based or nonappearance-based feedback on body image, mood states, and body change strategies. One hundred and forty-six women were randomly assigned to either an appearance condition, wherein they interacted with a confederate supposedly working for a cosmetic surgery center, or a nonappearance condition, in which the confederate purportedly worked for an academic enhancement center. Counter to expectations, there was no evidence of significant group differences on most of the variables that assessed mood states and body change strategies. However, intentions to engage in bulimic behavior were significant higher and dieting intentions marginally higher at posttest for the appearance condition, however anger levels were significantly higher for the nonappearance condition. Limitations of the study are discussed and future indications for research in this area are suggested.     

Maladaptive coping, adaptive coping, and depressive symptoms: Variations across age and depressive state

Rumination has consistently been found to be associated with the onset and duration of major depressive episodes. Little research, however, has examined factors that may weaken the association between maladaptive coping, such as rumination, and depressive symptoms. In three samples of participants, including 149 never-depressed adolescent girls, 41 never-depressed women, and 39 depressed women, we examined whether generally adaptive forms of coping interacted with generally maladaptive forms of coping to predict depressive symptoms. Age-appropriate measures of coping and depression were administered to participants in each sample. In never-depressed females, maladaptive coping/rumination were more strongly related to depressive symptoms in the presence of lower levels of adaptive coping. The relation between depression and maladaptive coping/rumination was weaker in the context of higher levels of adaptive coping. In contrast, for the depressed females, we found main effects for rumination and adaptive coping, with higher levels of rumination and lower levels of adaptive coping being associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. The present findings highlight how adaptive coping and maladaptive coping, including rumination, differentially relate to each other and depressive symptoms depending on individuals' current depressive state.     

Gender roles in animated cartoons: Has the picture changed in 20 years?

This study is an update of research done primarily in the 1970s on gender representation in children's cartoons. In the present study, 175 episodes of 41 different cartoons were coded for numbers and demographic characteristics of male, female, and androgynous characters. Behaviors, communication characteristics, and total talk time of male and female characters were coded, along with copyright year and country of origin. Results indicated notable discrepancies between prominence and portrayal of male and female characters. Both male and female characters were portrayed stereotypically. Compared to female characters, male characters were given much more prominence, appeared more frequently, engaged in more of almost all of the noted behaviors, and talked significantly more. When male or female behavior and communication variables were divided by number of male or female characters or by total talk time, results indicated consistency with gender role stereotypes. Comparisons of pre- and post-1980 cartoons, however, indicated significant change toward a less stereotypical portrayal of the characters, particularly female characters.