A pilot randomized trial of self-compassion writing for young adult women engaged in emotional eating in the context of appearance-related cyberbullying

The effects of COVID-19 risk, gender, and self-compassion on the workplace cyberbullying and job satisfaction of university faculty

The purpose of this study is to examine workplace cyberbullying (WPCB) in higher education. Specifically, the study examines the relationship between WPCB and several important factors such as self-compassion, job satisfaction, and gender. The cross-sectional study administered a survey to a convenience sample of 179 faculty members. The regression model showed that self-compassion was positively related to job satisfaction, whereas WPCB was negatively related to job satisfaction after controlling for covariates. The path analysis model results showed that gender and COVID-19 risk of severe illness were related to WPCB. Additionally, self-compassion mediated the inverse relationship between WPCB and job satisfaction.

Self-objectification and depressive symptoms among young Chinese women: The roles of appearance comparison on social networking sites and regulatory emotional self-efficacy

The present study examined the relationship between self-objectification and depressive symptoms among young Chinese women (N = 324), and investigated the roles of appearance comparison on social networking sites (SNS) and regulatory emotional self-efficacy in this relationship. The results showed that self-objectification was associated with depressive symptoms, and the relationship was mediated by appearance comparison on SNS. The study also found that regulatory emotional self-efficacy moderated the indirect relationship between self-objectification and depressive symptoms via appearance comparison on SNS. These findings suggest that regulatory emotional self-efficacy plays a buffering role between appearance comparison on SNS and depressive symptoms. Based on our results, interventions that address young Chinese women' depressive symptoms could include reducing self-objectification, decreasing appearance comparison on SNS, and improving regulatory emotional self-efficacy. Our research provides new insights into the interactions between self-objectification and the risk to women's mental health.

Effectiveness of written emotional disclosure interventions for eating disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Eating disorders are illnesses that can seriously impair the health and wellbeing of patients. Written emotional disclosure has been recognized as a therapeutic technique that may be helpful in aiding patients' emotional and psychological adjustment. However, it is unclear what favorable effects eating disorder patients can derive from written emotional disclosure therapy. This study aimed to review the effectiveness of written emotional disclosure in treating eating disorders using a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective

This study was to examine the validity of written emotional disclosure intervention for eating disorders as well as to provide guidelines for the management of eating disorders in patients.

Methods

Researchers independently developed inclusion and exclusion criteria according to the PICOS principle and systematically searched English literature databases such as PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EBSCO, Embase, and so on, from the time of library construction to December 2023. Cochrane Risk of Bias version 2 (RoB 2) was used to evaluate studies included in this review. All the studies included in this study were randomized controlled trials. Accurate information was extracted and then subjected to meta-analysis with Review Manager 5.4 software. The credibility of the evidence of the studies was assessed using GRADEprofiler 3.6 software.

Results

The final analysis included 13 randomized controlled trials involving 1,444 participants. The written emotional disclosure intervention can decrease eating disorder symptoms scores (SMD = -0.20, 95% CI [-0.34, -0.05], Z = 2.59, p = 0.01), body dissatisfaction scores (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI [0.21, 0.52], Z = 4.59, p < 0.001), and thin ideal internalization score (SMD = 0.42, 95% CI [0.22, 0.62], Z = 4.12, p < 0.001). Anxiety scores (MD = 0.43, 95% CI [-0.77, 1.63], Z = 0.70, p = 0.48), depression scores (MD = -0.66, 95% CI [-1.78, 0.47], Z = 1.14, p = 0.25) and negative affect scores (SMD = 0.51, 95% CI [-0.24, 1.27], Z = 1.33, p = 0.18), with no statistically significant differences.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this systematic review analyzed the existing literature and showed that written emotional disclosure intervention is effective in alleviating eating disorder symptoms and patients' body image problems, but there is insufficient evidence in alleviating depression, anxiety, and negative affect. However, the evidence is limited. Therefore, more research is needed in the future to further enrich the evidence for written emotional disclosure intervention in the field of eating disorders.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/,CRD42023445577.

Childhood emotional maltreatment and emerging adults' body dissatisfaction: Self-compassion and body surveillance as explanatory mechanisms

The association between childhood emotional maltreatment and body dissatisfaction has been widely identified. However, the explanatory mechanisms for this association remain unclear. Guided by the Stress Process Model, the present study tested the potential mediating roles of self-compassion and body surveillance in the associations between emotional maltreatment (i.e., emotional abuse and neglect) and body dissatisfaction. Three-wave, self-report survey data were collected from 668 Chinese young adults (66.8 % female, Mage = 19.96 years old, SD = 1.25) with a 6-month between-wave interval. Results demonstrated that childhood emotional neglect (recalled at Time 1) was positively associated with body dissatisfaction (at Time 3) through a serial mediating pathway from self-compassion (at Time 1) to body surveillance (at Time 2). In contrast, no links involving childhood emotional abuse were identified. Findings suggest that the compromised emotion regulation capacity related to self-care and the subsequent self-objectification could be key processes through which childhood emotional deprivation would be positively associated with later body dissatisfaction. Accordingly, prevention and intervention efforts aimed at combating young adults' body image issues with early adversity of emotional deprivation could integrate emotion regulation training (that can enhance self-care) and cognitive-behavioral techniques (that may reduce body surveillance) into extant programs to enhance effectiveness.

Appearance-related cyberbullying and its association with the desire to alter physical appearance among adolescent females

Cyberbullying is associated with various mental health concerns in adolescents, including body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviours. However, there is a significant research gap concerning the unique effects of appearance-related cyberbullying (ARC) on adolescent mental health. This study examined the prevalence and psychological consequences of ARC among middle to late adolescent females (aged 14-19 years, Mage = 15.98, N = 336). Participants completed an online survey regarding their experiences of ARC, body image variables, and eating disorder symptomology. Findings indicate the widespread occurrence of ARC among adolescent females, with body shape and size emerging as predominant targets. Experiences of ARC-victimisation positively correlated with increased concerns about body shape, body shame, and eating disorder symptomology. Conversely, experiences of ARC-victimisation were negatively correlated with body esteem and body appreciation. Finally, appearance-related cybervictimisation was significantly associated with adolescent females' desire to pursue appearance alterations through methods such as dieting and exercising, altering self-presentation, and undergoing cosmetic procedures due to perceived experiences of ARC. These findings highlight the urgent need for preventative measures, such as age-appropriate social media policies and health promotion programs that encourage positive online behaviour, and strategies to address the impacts of ARC to protect the mental well-being of adolescent females.

Self-compassion and relationship status moderate the relationship between sexual minority status and body image concerns

A growing body of research suggests that sexual minority men (SMM) experience greater body image concerns including body shame, body surveillance, drive for muscularity and drive for thinness than heterosexual men. However, little is known regarding the potential factors that can buffer these relationships. The aim of the present study was to examine the role that both self-compassion and relationship status may play in decreasing the strength of the relationship between sexual minority status and body image concerns. A sample of n = 106 SMM and n = 145 heterosexual men completed an online survey assessing body image concerns, self-compassion, and relationship status. Findings revealed that SMM reported higher levels of body image concerns (on all measures, except drive for muscularity) as compared to heterosexual men. Self-compassion moderated the link between sexual orientation and drive for muscularity: in men with higher levels of self-compassion, sexual orientation was no longer associated with drive for muscularity. But, among men with less self-compassion, SMM reported higher drive for muscularity than heterosexual men. Moreover, relationship status moderated the relationship between sexual orientation and body shame and drive for thinness, such that, among SMM only, being in a relationship was associated with lower levels of these concerns.