Susan Paxton - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Susan Paxton

Subjective well-being refers to an individual's appraisals and evaluations of their own life ... more Subjective well-being refers to an individual's appraisals and evaluations of their own life (Diener, 1984), which include both cognitive and affective components Subjective well-being (referred to hereafter as well-being), thus, may be reflected in a range of measures, including life-satisfaction and psychological distress, the focus of the present research. It has been proposed that high levels of social media use may have an impact on levels of well-being (Verduyn et al., 2017). From a theoretical perspective negative consequences for well-being are proposed to be the result of upward social comparisons made with social media content which largely presents idealised and positive images and life-circumstances of others, fuelling envy and discontent with one's own life (Verduyn et al., 2017; Weinstein, 2017). In addition, from the perspective of the displacement hypothesis, it has been proposed that time spent online might displace other crucial activities which support wel...

T-tests comparing completers' and non-completers' responses on ten randomly selected item... more T-tests comparing completers' and non-completers' responses on ten randomly selected items. Table S1. Comparison of study completersâ and non-completersâ round one responses on ten randomly selected items. (DOCX 16 kb)

The Tripartite Influence Model Sociocultural models of body image, specifically the tripartite in... more The Tripartite Influence Model Sociocultural models of body image, specifically the tripartite influence model, posit that three sociocultural influences contribute to the development of body image; media, peers and parents/family (Thompson et al., 1999). Further, the model proposes that the relationship between social influences and body image is mediated by appearance-ideal internalisation and comparison, whereby greater exposure to sociocultural influences from media, peer, and parent/family sources increases internalisation and comparisons, resulting in turn in poor body satisfaction. This model has received substantial support among adolescent and adult populations (e.g., Keery et al., 2004; Papp et al., 2013; Rodgers et al., 2011). Further, some studies have established support for elements of the model with prospective data (e.g., Hoffmann & Warschburger, 2019; Rodgers et al., 2015). However, despite the exponential growth of social media use among adolescents over the past d...

We conducted a prospective exploration of the temporal course of eating disorder (ED) symptoms in... more We conducted a prospective exploration of the temporal course of eating disorder (ED) symptoms in two cohorts of community women. One hundred and twenty-two young women (Cohort 1) identified in a general population based survey with ED symptoms of clinical severity agreed to participate in a 5-year follow-up study. A comparative sample (Cohort 2) of 706 similar aged self-selected college women (221 with disordered eating) was recruited one year later. Both ED groups were given a health literacy package in the first year. ED symptoms, health related quality of life, and psychological distress were assessed annually with the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, the Short Form-12 Health Survey and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, respectively. Forty percent (Cohort 1) and 30.3% (Cohort 2) completed questionnaires at each year of

Nutrients, 2021

Although the negative effect of social media use among youth on body image and eating concerns ha... more Although the negative effect of social media use among youth on body image and eating concerns has been established, few classroom-based resources that can decrease these effects through targeting social media literacy skills have been developed. This study aimed to test the efficacy of SoMe, a social media literacy body image, dieting, and wellbeing program for adolescents, through a cluster randomized controlled trial. Participants (n = 892; Mage = 12.77, SD = 0.74; range 11–15; 49.5% male) were randomized by school (n = 8) to receive either weekly SoMe (n = 483) or control sessions (lessons as usual; n = 409) over 4 weeks in their classroom. Participants completed surveys at four timepoints (baseline, 1-week post-intervention, and 6- and 12-month follow-up) assessing body dissatisfaction, dietary restraint, strategies to increase muscles (primary outcomes), self-esteem and depressive symptoms (secondary outcomes), and internalization of appearance ideals and appearance comparison...

Journal of Eating Disorders, 2017

Background: Concerns exist around how to talk about eating disorders (EDs) due to evidence that s... more Background: Concerns exist around how to talk about eating disorders (EDs) due to evidence that suggests discussing ED symptoms and behaviours may cause or worsen symptoms in vulnerable people. Using expert consensus, we developed a set of guidelines for giving safe community presentations about EDs. Methods: Participants with professional ED expertise, and people with lived experience of an ED, were recruited for a Delphi study. N = 26 panel members rated 367 statements for both a) inclusion in guidelines, and b) their potential to be helpful (increase knowledge, reduce stigma) or harmful (increase stigma, cause/worsen ED symptoms). After each round of the study, statements were classified as endorsed, re-rate, or not endorsed. Results: 208 statements were endorsed by the panel over three rounds. 13 statements were strongly endorsed in the first round, with both people with lived experience and professionals agreeing it is important for presentations to include information on etiology of EDs and to promote help-seeking. Several statements had a high level of disagreement between those with lived experience and professionals, including the idea that presentations should suggest dieting is likely to result in weight gain. Discussion: The experts were able to develop consensus on a wide range of issues. Panel members, particularly people with lived experience, were sensitive to aspects of presentations that may be harmful to an audience. The guidelines fill an important gap in the literature and provide guidance to those educating the public about EDs; they should, however, be further evaluated to test their efficacy.

Part I. The Medical Perspective: 1. Definitions and epidemiology 2. The behavioural disorders 3. ... more Part I. The Medical Perspective: 1. Definitions and epidemiology 2. The behavioural disorders 3. History, examination and investigations 4. Medical manifestations by system 5. The clinician's response to common physical complaints Part II. Treatment: 6. Principles of treatment 7. Medical and nutritional therapy Part III. Special Issues: 8. Specific patient populations 9. Prepubertal child and the younger adolescent Part IV. The Psychiatric and Psychological Perspective: 10. Physical disease and mental illness: pathology and psychopathology 11. Psychopathology and the mental status examination 12. Psychopathology and phenomenology 13. Specific psychological therapies Part V. Areas of Special Interest: 14. The role of the general practitioner 15. Nursing patients with anorexia nervosa 16. The role of the dietitian 17. Information for family and friends Bibliography Index.

Eating behaviors, Jan 12, 2016

Body dissatisfaction is now recognized as having considerable negative impact on social, psycholo... more Body dissatisfaction is now recognized as having considerable negative impact on social, psychological, and physical health, particularly in adolescent girls. Consequently, we have developed a six-session co-educational body image intervention (Happy Being Me Co-educational) designed to reduce body dissatisfaction and its risk factors in Grade 7 girls. In addition to evaluating the program's efficacy, we aimed to identify whether girls would benefit equally when it was delivered as a universal intervention to a whole class including both boys and girls (co-educational delivery), or delivered as a selective intervention to girls only (single-sex delivery). Participants were 200 Grade 7 girls from five schools in Melbourne, Australia. Schools were randomly allocated to receive the intervention in single-sex classes (n=74), co-educational classes (n=73), or participate as a no-intervention control (n=53). Girls completed self-report assessments of body dissatisfaction, psychologica...

A Practical Handbook for Health Care Professionals, 2004

Nutrients, 2012

Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 2007

Aim: We hypothesize that a reason for the infrequent uptake of treatments by people with eating d... more Aim: We hypothesize that a reason for the infrequent uptake of treatments by people with eating disorders is poor knowledge about treatments and outcomes for eating disorders (ED-Mental Health Literacy; ED-MHL). Our aim was to test putative health benefits of a brief ED-MHL intervention. Methods: In a community-based twophase survey, 122 young women (mean age 28.5 SD 6.3 years) with ED symptoms meeting DSM-IV criteria for clinical severity were randomized to receive either a brief ED-MHL intervention (comprising information about efficacious treatments, reputable self-help books and where to go for further information and/or services) or information about local mental health services only. All were given feedback on their scores on measures of ED symptoms and quality of life. ED-MHL, ED symptoms and health-related quality of life were assessed prior to the intervention and at 6-and 12-month follow-up. Results: One hundred and two participants (84%) completed follow-up at 12 months. Symptomatic improvement and changes in specific aspects of ED-MHL, namely, less pessimism about how difficult EDs are to treat and improved recognition and knowledge, as well as increased help seeking, were observed in both groups. Differences between groups were uncommon but compared with control participants, those in the intervention group had improved health-related quality of life. Conclusions: A brief communitybased intervention aimed to improve knowledge and beliefs about EDs and their treatments may be a valuable first step in improving health-related outcomes for people with ED, but more research is needed.

Australian Journal of Primary Health, 1998

Bulimic Eating Disorders (including bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder) are unfortunately ... more Bulimic Eating Disorders (including bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder) are unfortunately common problems among Australian females. The scope, morbidity and chronicity of these disorders combine to make them important women's health problems. Surprisingly, while these are distressing and disruptive conditions, research suggests many sufferers are not receiving treatment despite the existence of effective psychosocial treatments. Therefore, increasing access to care is a critical contemporary issue in improving health outcomes for sufferers of these conditions. This paper discusses identified barriers to the receipt of treatment and recent refinements to existing evidence based treatments, namely, the development of Cognitive-Behavioural self-help treatment manuals and their application in the treatment of Bulimic Eating Disorders. The potential benefits of Guided and Unguided Self-Help in overcoming barriers to care are outlined and research examining the efficacy of thes...

Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 2006

Abstract This research examined the mental health literacy of adolescents concerning eating-dis... more Abstract This research examined the mental health literacy of adolescents concerning eating-disordered behavior. A vignette describing a fictional 16-year old female meeting diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa was presented to 522 female high school students, ...

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Objective: A four-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in Victoria, Australia, previou... more Objective: A four-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in Victoria, Australia, previously evaluated parent-report outcomes following Confident Body, Confident Child: a program for parents to promote healthful eating patterns and positive body image in pre-schoolers. This exploratory study evaluated data from children of parents in the trial at 18 months follow-up. Method: Participants were 89 children (58 girls, 31 boys) of parents across all RCT arms (group A: Confident Body, Confident Child (CBCC) resource + workshop, n = 27; group B: CBCC resource only, n = 26; group C: nutrition booklet, n = 18; group D: wait-list control, n = 18). Children’s eating patterns, body image and weight bias were assessed via play-based interview. Results: Children of CBCC parents reported higher body esteem. Children of nutrition booklet parents reported stronger weight bias. Children of CBCC workshop parents reported lower External Eating. Discussion: This exploratory study suggests that ...

Obesity Research & Clinical Practice

Journal of Youth and Adolescence

This study examined longitudinal predictors of future eating problems in 435 female adolescents i... more This study examined longitudinal predictors of future eating problems in 435 female adolescents in Grades 7, 8, and 10, who were tested at two time points 8 months apart. Restrictive eating and bulimic tendencies were found to be relatively stable from Time 1 to Time 2, particularly in older grade levels. Partial correlations predicting Time 2 restrictive eating and bulimic tendencies indicated a role of body dissatisfaction, depression, and weight-related teasing, with findings being most clear in Grade 7. Path analyses indicated that the relationships among predictors were more complex and that some of the relationships were mediated by other variables.

Eating and weight disorders : EWD, Jan 17, 2018

Researchers have observed variation in levels of body image disturbance and eating pathology amon... more Researchers have observed variation in levels of body image disturbance and eating pathology among women from different Western countries. Examination of cross-cultural differences in the established risk factors (i.e., thin-ideal internalization, muscular-ideal internalization, and appearance pressures from family, peers, and media) for negative outcomes may help to elucidate the prominence of specific risk factors within a given Western society and guide associated interventions. Women from the United States (US), Italy, England, and Australia completed the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4). Analysis of covariance controlling for age and BMI indicated significant cross-country differences for all SATAQ-4 subscales. Results typically indicated higher levels of appearance-ideal internalization and appearance pressures in the US and lower levels in Italy; however, associated effect sizes were generally small. A medium effect of country was observed ...

The International journal of eating disorders, Jul 21, 2017

Eating disorders (EDs), including anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), are prevalent d... more Eating disorders (EDs), including anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), are prevalent disorders that carry substantial economic and social burden. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the modelled population cost-effectiveness of cognitive dissonance (CD), a school-based preventive intervention for EDs, in the Australian health care context. A population-based Markov model was developed to estimate the cost per disability adjusted life-year (DALY) averted by CD relative to no intervention. We modelled the cases of AN and BN that could be prevented over a 10-year time horizon in each study arm and the subsequent reduction in DALYs associated with this. The target population was 15-18 year old secondary school girls with high body-image concerns. This study only considered costs of the health sector providing services and not costs to individuals. Multivariate probabilistic and one-way sensitivity analyses were conducted to test model assumptions. Findings showed tha...

Journal of health psychology, Jan 21, 2016

A dismantling study of body dissatisfaction prevention was conducted. Adolescent girls (N = 260) ... more A dismantling study of body dissatisfaction prevention was conducted. Adolescent girls (N = 260) were randomly allocated to a media literacy (Happy Being Me - Media Literacy) or appearance comparison (Happy Being Me - Appearance Comparison) intervention or healthy eating behaviour control (Happy Being Me - Healthy Eating Behaviour) condition. In the Happy Being Me - Appearance Comparison condition, improvements from baseline to post-programme and follow-up for upward appearance comparison and fear of negative appearance evaluation were observed. In the Happy Being Me - Media Literacy condition, improvements were observed from baseline to post-programme for upward appearance comparison and realism scepticism. Findings were similar in a high-risk subsample and overall are moderately supportive of appearance comparison-based interventions, but less supportive of a stand-alone media literacy intervention.