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Craving is considered a key characteristic of diverse pathologies, but evidence suggests it may be a culture-bound construct. Almost 50% of American women crave chocolate specifically around the onset of menstruation. Research does not support popular accounts implicating physiological factors in menstrual chocolate craving etiology. We tested the novel hypothesis that greater menstrual craving prevalence in the U.S. is the product of internalized cultural norms. Women of diverse backgrounds (n = 275) reported on craving frequency and triggers and completed validated measures of acculturation. Foreign-born women were significantly less likely to endorse menstrual chocolate craving (17.3%), compared to women born to U.S.-born parents (32.7%, p = .03) and second generation immigrants (40.9%, p = .001). Second generation immigrant and foreign-born women endorsing menstrual chocolate craving reported significantly greater U.S. acculturation and lower identification with their native culture than non-menstrual cravers (all p < .001). Findings inform our understanding of food cravings, with important implications for the study of cravings in other domains.

Background Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) has been proposed as a transdiagnostic mechanism driving anxiety, depression, and eating disorder symptoms. Pregnancy is a time of significant uncertainty, yet few studies have examined the measurement of IU and its impacts on pregnant people. The current study aimed to examine the psychometric performance of two versions of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-27 and IUS-12) and their associations with psychopathologies common in pregnancy. Methods This study is a secondary analysis of participants ( n  = 254) recruited for a larger study of a single-session intervention targeting disordered eating in pregnancy. We examined fit of participant baseline data with IUS-27 and IUS-12 factor structures using confirmatory factor analyses. We also assessed associations between IU and emotion dysregulation and depression and eating disorder symptoms, controlling for age, parity, and perceived social status. Results The IUS-12 provided superior fit to the data (CFI = 0.95; TLI = 0.93; RMSEA = 0.09) compared to the IUS-27. The IUS-12 was significantly (all p  < 0.05) correlated with measures of emotion dysregulation ( r  = 0.67), depression ( r  = 0.58), and eating disorders ( r  = 0.37). Inhibitory IU rather than prospective IU was generally significantly associated with greater psychopathology ( ß range = 0.46 – 3.51, p ’s < 0.01). Conclusions Results from this study provide initial support for the IUS-12 as a valid measure of IU in pregnant people and suggest that IU is strongly associated with measures of depression, emotion dysregulation, and eating disorder behaviors in this population. Severe psychological distress in pregnancy has been linked to complications in gestation and delivery and overall poor birth outcomes. Clinicians and doctors should consider using the IUS-12 as a general measure of psychological distress among pregnant patients. Trial registration The trial from which these data were drawn is registered at clinicaltrials.gov, NCT06129461 (registered on November 10, 2023).

Objectives Research supports a protective role of self-compassion in guarding against disordered eating, which is especially prevalent in emerging adults (ages 18–25 years old). This set of two studies explored the relevance of self-compassion to emerging adults, expectancies of the impact of having a self-compassion mindset on disordered eating, and the prospective and concurrent acceptability and feasibility of a single-session online workshop targeting self-compassion skills in emerging adults with disordered eating. Methods Study 1 examined emerging adults’ ( n  = 536) understanding of self-compassion and expected impact of having a self-compassion mindset on disordered eating, along with prospective workshop acceptability. Study 2 explored the concurrent feasibility and acceptability of the single-session workshop in a large and demographically diverse sample of emerging adults endorsing current disordered eating ( n  = 515). Results Study 1 found that emerging adults understood the concept of self-compassion and appreciated its actual importance in their lives and perceived importance in the lives of others (i.e., peers, parents). Emerging adults with disordered eating expected self-compassion to positively impact their disordered eating symptoms. Study 2 found the online workshop to be feasible and acceptable to emerging adults with disordered eating, as indicated by adequate treatment recruitment and retention, good comprehension of workshop content, and positive expectancies that the self-compassion skills learned would have a positive impact on disordered eating. Conclusion A workshop building self-compassion skills is relevant to emerging adults and could be protective for those with disordered eating. Future work to examine the efficacy of the workshop appears warranted. Plain English summary Self-compassion can serve a protective role in guarding against the development of disordered eating. The first study explored how relevant self-compassion is to emerging adults and how much they believe having a self-compassion mindset can impact disordered eating. The second study explored how preferable a one-time online workshop targeting self-compassion skills would be to emerging adults with disordered eating. Emerging adults understood what self-compassion is and appreciated its actual importance in their lives. Additionally, emerging adults expected that having a self-compassion mindset would positively impact their eating disorder symptoms. Further, the online workshop was feasible and acceptable to emerging adults with disordered eating. A workshop building self-compassion skills may be protective for emerging adults with disordered eating.

Metaphors are increasingly recognized as influencing cognition and consumption. While these linkages typically have been qualitatively generated, this article presents a framework of convergent quantitative methodologies that can further document the validity of a metaphor. To illustrate this multimethod framework, the authors explore whether there is a metaphoric link between meat and maleness in Western cultures. The authors address this in six quantifiable studies that involve (1) implicit associations, (2) free associations, (3) indirect-scenario-based inferences, (4) direct measurement profiling, (5) preference and choice, and (6) linguistic analysis and conclude that there is a metaphoric relationship between mammal muscle meat and maleness.

The impact of food insecurity on mental health has not yet been examined in graduate students, a population widely considered at elevated risk for financial strain and negative mental health outcomes. This study aimed to derive initial prevalence estimates of food insecurity in a sample of current graduate students at a large state university and to elucidate the relationship between food insecurity and depression, anxiety and stress in this sample. Cross-sectional online survey including the US Household Food Security Survey Module: Six-Item Short Form and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21). University in the northeastern region of the USA. Two hundred sixty-three graduate students. In the present sample, 59·7 % of participants reported high/marginal food security, 18·5 % reported low food security and 21·8 % reported very low food security. Graduate students with very low food security reported significantly greater depression (η2 = 0·09), anxiety (η2 = 0·10) and stress (η2 = 0·10), compared with those with low food security and high food security (all P's < 0·001). Food insecurity occurred in nearly half of the graduate students surveyed, and very low food security was associated with elevated levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Findings highlight the need to address food insecurity and associated elevated mental health problems present among graduate students.

Purpose This study examined U.S. health professionals’ perspectives on the clinical utility, measurement, and etiology of orthorexia nervosa (ON). Methods Participants ( n  = 100) were U.S. health professionals with experience working clinically with eating disorders, including trainees, Ph.D. psychologists, social workers/mental health counselors, and medical health professionals. After reviewing the proposed ON criteria, participants responded to questions regarding the clinical utility, diagnosis, and measurement of ON, and sociocultural influence on the emergence of ON. Views of ON as a useful diagnostic category were examined as a function of participants’ current involvement in clinical versus research activities. Results Participants mostly (71.9%) agreed that ON should be a distinct clinical diagnosis. Participants who endorsed ON as a valid diagnosis spent more time on clinical work and less time engaged in research compared to participants who disagreed (both ps < 0.05). Approximately 27% of participants believed additional components should be added to the proposed ON diagnostic criteria. Participants indicated that sociocultural factors have considerable influence on the development of ON, namely the diet and weight loss industry, and the perceptions that biological/organic/vegan and low fat/low carb/gluten free food are the healthiest. Conclusion Professionals who spent more time working clinically with eating disorders were more likely to endorse ON as a unique disorder, and professionals who spent more time on research were more likely to disagree. To the extent that professionals who spend more time on research may shape the narrative around ON more visibly, this study underscores the importance of listening to practitioners' experiences in applied settings. Level of evidence: Level V: Opinions of authorities, based on descriptive studies, narrative reviews, clinical experience, or reports of expert committees.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a twice-weekly strength training intervention on perceptions of body image in 234 breast cancer survivors (112 with lymphedema) who participated in the Physical Activity and Lymphedema (PAL) trial. The study population included two hundred and thirty-four women randomly assigned to twice-weekly strength training or control group that completed the 32-item Body Image and Relationships Scale (BIRS) at baseline and 12 months. Percent change in baseline to 12-month BIRS total and subscale scores, upper and lower body strength, and general quality of life (QOL) were compared by intervention status. A series of multiple linear regression models including indicator variables for subgroups based on age, marital status, race, education, BMI, and strength change were used to examine differential intervention impact by subgroup. Strength and QOL variables were assessed as mediators of the intervention effect on BIRS. Results: Baseline BIRS scores were similar across intervention and lymphedema status. Significantly greater improvement in BIRS total score was observed from baseline to 12 months in treatment vs. control participants (12.0 vs. 2.0%; P < 0.0001). A differential impact of the intervention on the Strength and Health subscale was observed for older women (>50 years old) in the treatment group (P = 0.03). Significantly greater improvement was observed in bench and leg press among treatment group when compared to control group participants, regardless of lymphedema. Observed intervention effects were independent of observed strength and QOL changes. Twice-weekly strength training positively impacted self-perceptions of appearance, health, physical strength, sexuality, relationships, and social functioning. Evidence suggests the intervention was beneficial regardless of prior diagnosis of lymphedema. Strength and QOL improvements did not mediate the observed intervention effects.

Purpose of Review The purpose of this review is (a) to evaluate if the craving construct has clinical significance in the domain of behavioral addictions, as indicated by its practical expediency, descriptive fidelity, diagnostic efficiency, theoretical integrity, and clinical feasibility and (b) to integrate current research on craving in the domains of addictive and eating disorders. Recent Findings Craving is a characteristic feature of established and proposed behavioral addictions, and a central component of prevailing theoretical models. It correlates with symptom severity and may play a role in relapse. Empirical evidence thus supports diagnostic expansion to include craving in the diagnosis of behavioral addictions. Craving is also a powerful trigger of binge eating, and a better understanding of the exact targets and function of craving in weight- and eating-related pathologies may help resolve ongoing debates about their conceptualization as either substance or behavioral addictions. Summary Craving remains a source of much controversy, but evidence strongly suggests that a better understanding of the construct has important implications for the prevention and treatment of diverse pathologies.

The prevalence of mobile phone use across the world has increased greatly over the past two decades. Problematic Mobile Phone Use (PMPU) has been studied in relation to public health and comprises various behaviours, including dangerous, prohibited, and dependent use. These types of problematic mobile phone behaviours are typically assessed with the short version of the Problematic Mobile Phone Use Questionnaire (PMPUQ–SV). However, to date, no study has ever examined the degree to which the PMPU scale assesses the same construct across different languages. The aims of the present study were to (i) determine an optimal factor structure for the PMPUQ–SV among university populations using eight versions of the scale (i.e., French, German, Hungarian, English, Finnish, Italian, Polish, and Spanish); and (ii) simultaneously examine the measurement invariance (MI) of the PMPUQ–SV across all languages. The whole study sample comprised 3038 participants. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were extracted from the demographic and PMPUQ-SV items. Individual and multigroup confirmatory factor analyses alongside MI analyses were conducted. Results showed a similar pattern of PMPU across the translated scales. A three-factor model of the PMPUQ-SV fitted the data well and presented with good psychometric properties. Six languages were validated independently, and five were compared via measurement invariance for future cross-cultural comparisons. The present paper contributes to the assessment of problematic mobile phone use because it is the first study to provide a cross-cultural psychometric analysis of the PMPUQ-SV.

Purpose Past work suggests that vegetarianism is common in patients diagnosed with eating disorders (EDs), but the exact nature of this association is unclear, with reports conflicting as to whether vegetarianism is a risk factor for EDs, complicates ED treatment, or is wholly innocuous. Since vegetarianism has been on the rise, the need for current data on possible links with EDs is substantial. Methods We collected data on demographics, vegetarian status, ED diagnosis, current body mass index (BMI), highest and lowest BMI, Eating Attitudes Test, and Multifactorial Assessment of Eating Disorders Symptoms scores at intake in 124 patients (84.7% women, 90.3% white, M age  = 23.92 ± 9.16 years) admitted to an intensive outpatient ED program. Results We first compared omnivores ( n  = 72, 58.1%), meat-reducers ( n  = 27, 21.8%), vegetarians ( n  = 20, 16.1%), and vegans ( n  = 5, 4.0%) and found no significant differences in any demographic or outcome variable, with the exception that vegetarians reported significantly lower highest-ever BMI compared to meat-reducers ( p  = 0.03). To mirror past chart reviews, we then compared the combined groups of meat avoiders ( n  = 52, 41.9%) to the omnivores ( n  = 72, 58.1%) and found no significant differences in demographics or ED symptoms (all p s > 0.05). Conclusion Overall, data support that meat restriction does not imply greater ED severity. Level of evidence Level V, descriptive study, retrospective chart review.