Browsing by Author "Lacroix, Emilie"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Development of Body Image and Eating Disorder Psychopathology: Normative and Pathological Trajectories
    (2022-07-28) Lacroix, Emilie; von Ranson, Kristin; Hodgins, David; Kopala-Sibley, Daniel
    Introduction: Body image is a critical area of wellbeing that predicts many important outcomes, including eating pathology. Unfortunately, there is no consensus about what constitutes normative body image development, or how people come to develop negative body image. The objective of this project was to advance understanding of both normative and pathological trajectories of body image and eating pathology development. Method: This dissertation includes a systematic review and meta-analysis (Chapter 2), and two primary longitudinal studies (Chapters 3 and 4). The meta-analysis summarized longitudinal data from 142 samples to characterize normative mean-level change in body image among females and males between ages 6 and 54. The two primary longitudinal studies took a person-centred approach to identify the most common trajectories of body image and eating pathology, and examine their predictors in two samples: a U.S. sample of 760 female twins assessed between ages 11 and 29; and a U.K. sample of 328 girls and 429 boys assessed between ages 11 and 15. Results: The meta-analysis identified gender-moderated patterns of normative body image development: boys showed small fluctuations in overall body image with net-improvements between ages 10 and 24, whereas girls showed worsening body image between ages 10 and 16, but improvements between ages 16 and 24. Mean-level changes were largest between ages 10 and 14, and stabilized by age 24. The two primary studies identified subgroups of boys and girls who deviated considerably from normative patterns of development; pathological subgroups showed greater proneness to stress, anxiety, and negative emotionality, social difficulties, dietary restraint, and lower global self-esteem. Conclusion: These studies advance theories of body image development. First, a critical period may occur slightly earlier than previously believed. Second, girls and boys may both, on average, experience improvements in body image during emerging adulthood. Third, pluripotent transdiagnostic risk factors such as personality characteristics merit increased attention alongside sociocultural variables that specifically increase risk for eating pathology.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Food and Eating Addiction: Severe Forms of Uncontrolled Eating? Examining an Extension of a Continuum Model
    (2017) Lacroix, Emilie; von Ranson, Kristin; Russell-Mayhew, Michelle; Hodgins, David
    This study examined the fit of a continuum model of uncontrolled eating as extended to measures of food and eating addiction, and investigated associations of these constructs with clinical impairment. Participants were 544 adults recruited through an online crowdsourcing tool, and 358 students. We tested the fit of structural equation models depicting a continuum of uncontrolled eating, and examined relationships among self-report measures of food and eating addiction, emotional eating, power of food, binge eating, and clinical impairment. Results supported the convergent validity of food and eating addiction measures with measures of theoretically similar forms of eating pathology. Food addiction demonstrated incremental validity in explaining clinical impairment above the general uncontrolled eating factor in both samples, and was equivalently associated with all types of impairment. Eating addiction was more strongly associated with personal (i.e., emotional) impairment, but did not account for variance in impairment beyond the general uncontrolled eating factor.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Weight Bias: A Systematic Review of Characteristics and Psychometric Properties of Self-Report Questionnaires
    (Karger Publishers, 2017-06-10) Lacroix, Emilie; Alberga, Angela S.; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; McLaren, Lindsay; von Ranson, Kristin
    Background: People living with overweight and obesity often experience weight-based stigmatization. Investigations of the prevalence and correlates of weight bias and evaluation of weight bias reduction interventions depend upon psychometrically-sound measurement. Our paper is the first to comprehensively evaluate the psychometric properties, use of people-first language within items, and suitability for use with various populations of available self-report measures of weight bias. Methods: We searched five electronic databases to identify English-language self-report questionnaires of weight bias. We rated each questionnaire's psychometric properties based on initial validation reports and subsequent use, and examined item language. Results: Our systematic review identified 40 original self-report questionnaires. Most questionnaires were brief, demonstrated adequate internal consistency, and tapped key cognitive and affective dimensions of weight bias such as stereotypes and blaming. Current psychometric evidence is incomplete for many questionnaires, particularly with regard to the properties of test-retest reliability, sensitivity to change as well as discriminant and structural validity. Most questionnaires were developed prior to debate surrounding terminology preferences, and do not employ people-first language in the items administered to participants. Conclusions: We provide information and recommendations for clinicians and researchers in selecting psychometrically sound measures of weight bias for various purposes and populations, and discuss future directions to improve measurement of this construct.