Journal article
Physiological, body composition, and body mass measures show that a developmental measure of weight suppression is more valid than the traditional measure
The International journal of eating disorders
10 Apr 2024
PMID: 38597163
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
The traditional measure of weight suppression (TWS; the difference between an individual's highest past weight at adult height and current weight), has been associated with many psychological, behavioral and biological variables in those with eating disorders. A new measure of weight suppression, called developmental weight suppression (DWS), corrects two major problems in the original measure. Initial research indicates that DWS represents a superior operationalization of the construct weight suppression was originally designed to measure (Lowe [1993, Psychol Bull, 114: 100]). This study is the first to examine the relation between both WS measures and weight history, body composition and a variety of metabolic hormones.
Data were collected in 91 women with bulimia nervosa (BN) or BN-spectrum disorders.
Both weight suppression indices were related to multiple hormones. However, multiple regression analyses showed that the independent effects of DWS differed from the independent effects of TWS in that only DWS was negatively related to: (1) current z-BMI, (2) body fat percentage, and (3) insulin, leptin, T3 free, and TSH. This differential pattern also occurred when results were corrected for multiple comparisons.
Findings provide stronger biological support for the construct validity of DWS than TWS and suggest that: (1) from the perspective of individuals with BN, high DWS embodies success at food restriction and weight loss, (2) elevated DWS may trap individuals with BN in a powerful biobehavioral bind, and (3) DWS is the preferred measure of weight suppression in future research on eating disorders.
Most individuals with bulimia nervosa lose substantial weight in the process of developing their disorder. Such weight suppression is related to many characteristics of those with the eating disorder bulimia nervosa. This study shows why a new measure of weight suppression, based on an individual's growth during development, is more biologically valid than the traditional measure of weight suppression.
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Details
- Title
- Physiological, body composition, and body mass measures show that a developmental measure of weight suppression is more valid than the traditional measure
- Creators
- Michael R Lowe - Drexel UniversitySimar Singh - Drexel UniversityMichael Rosenbaum - Columbia University Irving Medical CenterLaurel Mayer - Columbia University Irving Medical Center
- Publication Details
- The International journal of eating disorders
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Grant note
- MH095982 / NIMH NIH HHS T32MH018261 / NIMH NIH HHS
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology)
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001199408600001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85190425386
- Other Identifier
- 991021868115604721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Nutrition & Dietetics
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Psychology, Clinical