Impact of stress and decision fatigue on parenting practices related to food and physical activity during COVID-19

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in substantial disruptions to daily functioning and lifestyle behaviours, with negative health consequences for youth. Parents play a large role in their children's health behaviour; yet changes to parenting behaviours during the pandemic related to food and physical activity remain relatively unexplored. The present study is the first to our knowledge to examine specific changes in American parents' parenting behaviours related to food and physical activity during COVID-19, and potential correlates of such changes, including perceived stress and decision fatigue.

METHODS

A total of 140 parents (88.57% female; 88.41% White; 87.59% married; with one to five children) from middle to upper income households completed an online survey assessing demographics, perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), decision fatigue (Decision Fatigue Scale) and food and activity parenting behaviour changes during COVID-19.

RESULTS

Overall, a greater proportion of parents engaged primarily in positive (57.14%) than negative (22.86%) parenting practices related to food and physical activity during the pandemic. Moderation analyses showed that the negative relation between perceived stress and positive parental behaviour changes was stronger at higher perceived increases in decision fatigue during the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

In the face of a major public health crisis, adaptive parental responses may emerge, but perceived stress may inhibit such behaviour change. Perceived stress and decision fatigue may represent important explanatory factors in parental health promoting behaviours during times of uncertainty and change.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Suicidal/Self-Harming Thoughts, and Suicide Attempts Among LGB and Heterosexual Utahns

Current research suggests that sexual minorities living in Utah may be at higher risk for experiencing suicidal/self-harming thoughts and suicide attempts than heterosexuals in Utah. However, to date no research has been conducted examining potential reasons sexual minorities living in Utah may be at higher risk. Using two representative samples of Utahns, we examine (a) disparities in adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) between sexual minorities and heterosexual Utahn, (b) how ACEs and sexual orientation may predict recent suicidal/self-harming thoughts and lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts, and (c) how sexual orientation and ACEs might interact to predict suicidal outcomes. Results with each sample showed that sexual minority Utahns reported higher levels of ACEs and suicidal/self-harming thoughts than heterosexual Utahns. Both sexual orientation and ACEs uniquely predicted suicidality when both were entered into regression models, but no interaction effects were found between these predictors.

Consequences of Picky Eating in College Students

OBJECTIVE

To examine the relation between young adult picky eating (PE) and psychosocial outcomes (eg, social phobia, quality of life) and dietary intake.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study including demographic, quantitative, and qualitative measures.

PARTICIPANTS

Midwestern undergraduate convenience sample (n = 488) recruited early 2020.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Picky eating identity and bias internalization, social phobia, quality of life, and dietary intake.

ANALYSES

Pearson correlations were conducted among study variables. Independent t tests compared picky eaters and nonpicky eaters on key variables. Qualitative data were coded using content analysis.

RESULTS

Picky eaters reported eating less fiber (t[445] = -3.51; P < 0.001; d = 0.34) and vegetables (t[464] = -3.57; P < 0.001; d = 0.33), and reported more social phobia (t[336.84] = 4.04; P < 0.001; d = 0.39) than nonpicky eaters. Picky eating behaviors were positively correlated with PE identity (r[190] = 0.48; P < 0.001; R² = 0.23) and bias internalization (r[190] = 0.44; P < 0.001; R² = 0.19).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Future research might explore additional factors that theoretically overlap with PE behavior (eg, other eating styles, disordered eating patterns) or play a role in PE (eg, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive difficulties). A greater understanding of these factors may lead to intervention to reduce PE in adults. In addition, validation of the PE identity and PE distress measures is essential for future use and to replicate this study's findings.

Relationship between Future Orientation and Pain Severity in Fibromyalgia Patients: Self-Compassion as a Coping Mechanism

The present study examined the relationship between future orientation and fibromyalgia-related pain severity in a sample of 287 adults with fibromyalgia. Specifically, authors examined dimensions of self-compassion (for example, self-kindness, isolation, mindfulness) as possible mechanisms through which future orientation might be associated with pain severity. Results of conducting a multiple mediator test with 10,000 bootstraps indicated that the significant negative association between future orientation and pain severity was mediated through one specific self-compassion dimension, namely, isolation. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the present findings for working with fibromyalgia patients, specifically the potential value of social workers working with fibromyalgia patients to build future orientation as a resilience factor to combat pain severity. Also discussed is the value of working with patients to develop a sustainable social support system that can disrupt experiences of social isolation and disconnectedness from others, and which appear to contribute to greater pain severity.

Relationship between Hope and Quality of Life in Primary Care Patients: Vitality as a Mechanism

The present study examined the role of vitality as a mediator of the association between dispositional hope and quality of life (QoL) (namely, physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment) in a sample of 101 adult primary care patients. Vitality was found to fully mediate the relationship between hope and physical health, social relationships, and environment. In addition, vitality was found to partially mediate the association between hope and psychological health. The present findings are consistent with a model in which vitality represents an important mechanism through which hope affects QoL in adults. Accordingly, these findings point to the importance of fostering both hope and vitality in efforts to promote positive QoL in adults.

Presence of trauma and suicide risk: Personal control as a moderator

Given past findings that have linked trauma and lack of personal control to greater suicidal risk in adults, the present study examined how trauma presence and personal control are uniquely involved in predicting suicidal risk in a sample of 469 college students. Regression analyses indicated that both trauma presence and personal control were significant predictors of suicidal risk, as was their interaction. The present findings suggest a need to consider both trauma presence and low personal control in assessing for suicidal risk in college students.