Correlates of Psychosocial Well-Being Among Overweight Adolescents: The Role of the Family Jayne A. Fulkerson University of Minnesota Jaine Strauss Macalester College Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Mary Story, and Kerri Boutelle University of Minnesota An ethnically diverse sample of at-risk-for-overweight and overweight youths (body mass index greater than the 85th percentile for age and gender; n � 667 male participants, and n � 684 female participants) completed a school-based survey measuring family variables (connectedness, mealtime environment, and weight commentary), psychosocial well-being (depressed mood, body satisfaction, and self-esteem), and unhealthy weight-control behaviors; all measures were assessed concurrently. Hierarchical linear regres- sion analyses revealed that measures of general family connectedness, priority of family meals, and positive mealtime environment were significantly positively associated with psychological well-being and inversely associated with depressive symptoms and unhealthy weight-control behaviors. Familial weight commentary (i.e., weight-based teasing and parental encouragement to diet) was associated with many indicators of poor psychological health. The authors conclude that greater psychosocial well-being and fewer unhealthy weight-control behaviors are associated with making family time at meals a priority, creating a positive mealtime atmosphere, and refraining from weight commentary. Keywords: adolescents, overweight, well-being, family Almost one quarter (22%) of U.S. adolescents are overweight (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Over- weight youths have increased morbidity (Koplan & Dietz, 1999) and are at risk for negative psychosocial outcomes, such as social stigmatization, suicidal ideation, and low self-esteem (Tanofsky- Kraff et al., 2004). In the present study, we explore the role of family environment in helping overweight youths experience pos- itive emotional well-being and avoid disordered eating. Considerable research attests to the importance of family factors in adolescent health. Family connectedness may protect teens from a wide array of negative experiences, including emotional distress, suicidal thoughts, and violence (Resnick et al., 1997). Family environment has also been linked to eating behaviors and weight; extensive research documents parental influence on food intake and overweight in young children (Birch & Davison, 2001) and family dysfunction in clinical eating pathology (e.g., Steinberg & Phares, 2001). However, few studies have explored the interplay of family factors and well-being in nonclinical samples of overweight adolescents. Mellin, Neumark-Sztainer, Story, Ireland, and Resnick (2002) reported that family connectedness was associated with better health and psychosocial outcomes among overweight youths. The present study builds on Mellin et al.’s work by including specific food- and weight-related family factors and by objectively mea.

1. Correlates of Psychosocial Well-Being Among Overweight
Adolescents:
The Role of the Family
Jayne A. Fulkerson
University of Minnesota
Jaine Strauss
Macalester College
Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Mary Story, and Kerri Boutelle
University of Minnesota
An ethnically diverse sample of at-risk-for-overweight and
overweight youths (body mass index greater
than the 85th percentile for age and gender; n � 667 male
participants, and n � 684 female participants)
completed a school-based survey measuring family variables
(connectedness, mealtime environment, and
weight commentary), psychosocial well-being (depressed mood,
body satisfaction, and self-esteem), and
unhealthy weight-control behaviors; all measures were assessed
concurrently. Hierarchical linear regres-
sion analyses revealed that measures of general family
connectedness, priority of family meals, and
positive mealtime environment were significantly positively
associated with psychological well-being
and inversely associated with depressive symptoms and
unhealthy weight-control behaviors. Familial
weight commentary (i.e., weight-based teasing and parental
encouragement to diet) was associated with
many indicators of poor psychological health. The authors

2. conclude that greater psychosocial well-being
and fewer unhealthy weight-control behaviors are associated
with making family time at meals a priority,
creating a positive mealtime atmosphere, and refraining from
weight commentary.
Keywords: adolescents, overweight, well-being, family
Almost one quarter (22%) of U.S. adolescents are overweight
(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). Over-
weight youths have increased morbidity (Koplan & Dietz, 1999)
and are at risk for negative psychosocial outcomes, such as
social
stigmatization, suicidal ideation, and low self-esteem
(Tanofsky-
Kraff et al., 2004). In the present study, we explore the role of
family environment in helping overweight youths experience
pos-
itive emotional well-being and avoid disordered eating.
Considerable research attests to the importance of family
factors
in adolescent health. Family connectedness may protect teens
from
a wide array of negative experiences, including emotional
distress,
suicidal thoughts, and violence (Resnick et al., 1997). Family
environment has also been linked to eating behaviors and
weight;
extensive research documents parental influence on food intake
and overweight in young children (Birch & Davison, 2001) and
family dysfunction in clinical eating pathology (e.g., Steinberg
&
Phares, 2001). However, few studies have explored the interplay
of
family factors and well-being in nonclinical samples of

3. overweight
adolescents. Mellin, Neumark-Sztainer, Story, Ireland, and
Resnick (2002) reported that family connectedness was
associated
with better health and psychosocial outcomes among overweight
youths. The present study builds on Mellin et al.’s work by
including specific food- and weight-related family factors and
by
objectively measuring height and weight. Although general
family
connectedness is important in the psychological health of over-
weight youths, we hypothesized that the psychosocial well-
being
of overweight youths would be most directly associated with
familial commentary about weight and family mealtime environ-
ment. Moreover, the specificity of these family environmental
factors may make them useful targets for therapeutic
intervention.
The adverse effect of weight-related teasing on the body image
of female adolescents is well documented (Keery, Boutelle, van
den Berg, & Thompson, 2005). Eisenberg, Neumark-Sztainer,
and
Story (2003) reported that teasing about body weight was
associ-
ated with body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, depressive
symp-
toms, and suicidal thoughts in teens, even after controlling for
body weight. Such teasing appears to be especially perilous for
overweight youths (Neumark-Sztainer et al., 2002). Whereas
weight teasing clearly exerts a negative impact on well-being,
even
seemingly benign parental weight-related comments have the
po-
tential to influence children negatively (Stradmeijer, Bosch,

4. Koops, & Seidell, 2000; Wertheim, Martin, Prior, Sanson, &
Smart, 2002). Further research assessing parental commentary
on
weight, including overt encouragement to diet, among
overweight
youths is warranted.
In contrast, family meal frequency has shown positive relation-
ships with adolescent health (Fulkerson et al., 2006; Neumark-
Sztainer, Wall, Story, & Fulkerson, 2004; Taveras et al., 2005).
Several studies have established a positive link between family
meal frequency and youth nutrition and healthy eating patterns
(e.g., Videon & Manning, 2003). In addition, adolescents whose
Jayne A. Fulkerson, School of Nursing, University of
Minnesota; Jaine
Strauss, Department of Psychology, Macalester College; Dianne
Neumark-
Sztainer and Mary Story, Division of Epidemiology and
Community
Health, University of Minnesota; Kerri Boutelle, Division of
General
Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to
Jayne A.
Fulkerson, School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, 5-160
Weaver
Densford Hall, Minneapolis, MN 55455. E-mail:
[email protected]
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology Copyright 2007
by the American Psychological Association
2007, Vol. 75, No. 1, 181–186 0022-006X/07/$12.00 DOI:
10.1037/0022-006X.75.1.181
181

5. families placed a high priority on family meals and who
reported
a positive mealtime atmosphere were less likely to engage in
disordered eating, even after controlling for family
connectedness
(Neumark-Sztainer et al., 2004). Taveras et al. (2005) found
that
family meal frequency, although inversely related to the preva-
lence of overweight in children cross-sectionally, did not
predict
the onset of overweight longitudinally. Thus, the relationship
between overweight and family meal frequency merits further
scrutiny. Furthermore, the interplay between family mealtime
en-
vironment and the well-being of overweight youths remains
unexplored.
The familial context is clearly important for adolescent health.
Thus, in the present study we investigated the connections
among
multiple layers of family environment and overweight youths’
health by examining the links between familial commentary
about
weight and family mealtime environment using four
psychosocial
variables: depressive symptoms, self-esteem, body satisfaction,
and unhealthy weight-control behaviors.1 Although family con-
nectedness is important in adolescent well-being, we tested a
more
conservative hypothesis. We hypothesized that making family
mealtimes a priority and creating a positive mealtime
environment
would be positively associated with overweight adolescents’

6. well-
being above and beyond any influence of general family
connect-
edness. We similarly hypothesized that family weight commen-
tary—teasing and parental encouragement to diet—would be
negatively associated with teens’ psychosocial health.
Method
Participants
Data from the present study were drawn from Project EAT
(Eating
Among Teens), a comprehensive study of eating patterns among
4,746
ethnically diverse 7th–12th graders from 31 schools in the upper
midwest-
ern United States (for detailed information about study design
and proce-
dures, see Neumark-Sztainer, Wall, Story, & Perry, 2003). The
survey
response rate was 81.5%. Body mass index (BMI) values were
calculated
from objectively measured anthropometry data according to the
following
formula: weight (kg)/height (m2). Using gender- and age-
specific cutoff
points (Himes & Dietz, 1994), we selected 1,351 respondents (n
� 667
male participants, n � 684 female participants) who were at risk
for being
overweight or who were overweight (BMI � 85th percentile),
hereafter
referred to as overweight, for inclusion in the present study.
Table 1 lists
demographic characteristics by gender.

7. Measures
Scale scores were created for depressed mood, body
satisfaction, self-
esteem, unhealthy weight-control behaviors, family
connectedness, priority
of family meals, and positive mealtime environment. Key
variables were
pretested, and all scales were adapted from validated measures
(see
Neumark-Sztainer et al., 2004). Descriptive and psychometric
properties of
items and scales are provided in Table 1.
Family connectedness items asked about how much participants
feel
cared for and how much they feel they can talk to their
mother/father about
their problems. Higher scale scores indicate greater
connectedness to
family. Priority of family meals reflects the expectation of
having family
meals together; higher scores indicate making family meals a
priority.
Atmosphere of family meals reflects the mood of mealtime, with
higher
scores indicating a more positive mealtime atmosphere. Family
commen-
tary about weight was assessed with three items: “Have you
ever been
teased or made fun of by family members because of your
weight?” and
two items that asked about the frequency of parental
encouragement to diet.

8. To assess depressed mood, we asked youths how much they had
been
bothered by each of six common symptoms of depression during
the past
12 months on a 3-point scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 3
(very much).
Kandel and Davies (1982) have identified scores greater than 23
as “clin-
ically relevant.” Self-esteem scores indicate participants’ level
of agree-
ment with six sentences adapted from the Rosenberg Self-
Esteem Scale
(Rosenberg, 1965), with higher scores indicating higher self-
esteem. On
the Body Shape Satisfaction Scale, participants endorsed their
level of
satisfaction with 10 specific body parts on a 5-point scale
ranging from 1
(very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied), with higher scores
indicating greater
body satisfaction. The Unhealthy Weight-Control Behaviors
Scale
(UWCB) included ratings of nine frequently reported unhealthy
weight-
control methods.
The Project EAT study was guided by social cognitive theory
(SCT),
which places great importance on learning through observations
and inter-
actions with one’s social environment (Bandura, 1986). SCT-
based re-
search models socioenvironmental, personal, and behavioral
variables.
Variables in the present study are modeled in SCT as follows:
socioenvi-

9. ronmental variables (family connectedness, priority of family
meals, at-
mosphere of family meals, father/mother encourages to diet),
personal
variables (self-esteem, body satisfaction, depressed mood), and
behavioral
variables (unhealthy weight-control behaviors).
Data Analysis
Depressed mood, body satisfaction, self-esteem, and UWCB
items
served as dependent variables. Demographic variables, family
connected-
ness, priority of family meals, positive atmosphere at mealtime,
weight-
based teasing by family, and parental encouragement to diet
served as
independent variables. We conducted separate hierarchical
multiple regres-
sion analyses for each outcome variable, stratified by gender.2
This method
allowed us to test the contribution of familial weight
commentary and the
family mealtime environment with the demographic factors and
general
family connectedness already in the model. For each analysis,
blocks of
variables were defined as follows: Block 1 � demographic
variables
(parental marital status, grade level, and race); Block 2 �
general family
connectedness; Block 3 � family mealtime variables; and Block
4 �
familial commentary about weight variables. We conducted all
analyses

10. using SPSS statistical software (Version 12.0 for Windows;
SPSS Inc.,
Chicago, IL).
Results
Correlations in Table 2 indicate significant associations
between
many of the independent variables. Family connectedness was
not
significantly correlated with mother’s encouragement to diet.
Gen-
der differences were apparent for associations between positive
meal atmosphere and mother’s encouragement to diet as well as
1 Because gender differences in eating and weight-control
behaviors are
well documented, we conducted our analyses separately by
gender. Al-
though we anticipated that family factors would play a key role
for both
genders, previous research (e.g., Elfhag & Linne, 2005) led us
to expect
stronger associations between family environment and well-
being for fe-
male adolescents.
2 Scale scores for all psychosocial measures differed
significantly by gen-
der, with female participants reporting higher mean scores on
depressed mood,
F(1, 1270) � �8.1, p � .001, and unhealthy weight-control
behaviors, F(1,
1333) � �9.8, p � .001, and lower mean scores on body
satisfaction, F(1,
1298) � 9.2, p � .001, and self-esteem, F(1, 1266) � 7.4, p �

11. .001. Means
and standard deviations by gender are provided in Table 1.
182 BRIEF REPORTS
for associations between priority of family meals and father’s
encouragement to diet.
Demographic characteristics and family connectedness were
significantly associated with all four psychosocial measures for
overweight female participants, with the exception of a
nonsignif-
icant relationship between demographic factors and self-esteem
(see Table 3). Family mealtime environment and familial com-
mentary about weight also yielded significant �R2s for several
of
the dependent variables. Specifically, priority of family meals
was
inversely related to UWCB items, and positive meal atmosphere
was directly associated with self-esteem. Family weight-based
teasing was positively associated with depressed mood and in-
versely related to self-esteem and body satisfaction. Paternal
en-
couragement to diet was inversely related to self-esteem and
positively associated with UWCB items, whereas maternal
encour-
agement to diet was associated only with depressed mood.
Generally, demographic factors were not associated with
psychosocial well-being for overweight male participants, but
family connectedness was robustly correlated with all four
psychosocial variables (see Table 4). Family mealtime and

12. Table 1
Demographic Characteristics, Descriptive Statistics, and
Psychometric Properties for Independent and Dependent
Variables Among
Overweight Youths by Gender
Variable
No.
of
items � Range
Total
(N � 1,351)
Girls
(n � 684)
Boys
(n � 667)
% M SD % M SD % M SD
Demographics
Grade level (% junior high) 1 0–1 37 39 36
Parental marital status (% married) 1 0–1 59 54 63
Race/ethnicity (% non-White) 1 0–1 53 57 50
Caucasian 47 43 50
African American 20 27 14
Asian American 16 14 19
Hispanic/Latino(a) 8 6 9
Native American 5 5 5
Other or multiracial 4 5 3

13. Body mass index 1 20.9–51.9 28.6 4.6 28.6 4.6 28.6 4.6
General family connectedness
Family Connectedness Scale 4 .69 1–5 15.0 3.5 14.7 3.5 15.4
3.4
Family mealtime environment
Priority of Family Meal Scale 5 .82 2–20 13.0 3.5 12.8 3.6 13.3
3.4
Positive Meal Atmosphere Scale 4 .73 4–16 11.3 3.0 11.2 3.1
11.4 2.9
Familial commentary about weight
Weight-Based Teasing by Family
Scale 1 1–2 1.3 0.5 1.4 0.5 1.3 0.4
Father encourages to diet 1 1–4 1.8 1.1 1.8 1.1 1.8 1.1
Mother encourages to diet 1 1–4 2.0 1.1 2.0 1.1 1.9 1.1
Depressed mood 6 .80 10–30 17.3 4.8 18.3 4.8 16.2 4.5
Self-esteem 6 .78 6–24 17.6 3.5 16.9 3.5 18.3 3.3
Body satisfactiona 10 .92 10–50 31.0 9.5 28.7 9.5 33.4 8.9
Unhealthy Weight-Control Behaviors
Scale 9 .70 0–9 1.4 1.5 1.8 1.6 1.0 1.3
Note. Alpha values represent Cronbach’s internal consistency
reliability alphas.
a Two-week test–retest reliability, r � .68 –.77.
Table 2
Intercorrelations of Independent Variables by Gender
Variable
Family

14. Connectedness
Scale
Positive Meal
Atmosphere
Scale
Priority of
Family Meal
Scale
Weight-Based
Teasing by Family
Scale
Father
encourages to
diet
Mother
encourages to
diet
Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls Boys Girls
Boys
Family Connectedness Scale — — .50*** .44*** .24*** .27***
�.16*** �.15*** .17*** .15*** .05 .05
Positive Meal Atmosphere Scale — — .44*** .43*** �.17***
�.17*** .13** .13** .05 .13**

15. Priority of Family Meal Scale — — �.16*** �.18*** .12** .06
.09* .09*
Weight-Based Teasing by Family Scale — — .04 .17*** .12**
.10**
Father encourages to diet — — .60*** .66***
* p � .05. ** p �.01. *** p � .001.
183BRIEF REPORTS
familial commentary about weight also yielded significant �R2s
for several of the dependent variables. Priority of family meals
was positively associated with self-esteem and inversely asso-
ciated with depressed mood and UWCB items, whereas positive
meal atmosphere was positively associated with both self-
esteem and body satisfaction. Family weight-based teasing was
significantly associated with all four dependent variables. Ma-
ternal encouragement to diet was positively associated with
depressed mood and UWCB items and inversely associated
with self-esteem. Paternal encouragement to diet was positively
associated with UWCB items and inversely associated with
body satisfaction.
Discussion
In the present study, we explored the connections between
concurrent measures of family environment and well-being in
overweight teens. As hypothesized, analyses revealed that
making
family meals a priority and having a positive mealtime environ-
ment were positively associated with psychological well-being

16. and
inversely associated with depressive symptoms and unhealthy
weight-control behaviors among overweight male and female
par-
ticipants. Similarly, teasing about weight by family members
and
parental encouragement to diet were associated with many
indica-
tors of poor psychological health. Familial teasing was strongly
correlated with problematic psychosocial outcomes among both
overweight male and female participants, whereas the
associations
between parental encouragement to diet and psychosocial out-
comes varied by gender. Findings suggest that making family
meals a priority, keeping the atmosphere at meals positive, and
refraining from weight teasing and direct encouragement to diet
co-occur with many facets of psychological well-being among
overweight youths.
Our findings suggest specific links between making family
meals a priority and fewer unhealthy weight-control behaviors
among overweight female adolescents and less depressed mood
among overweight male adolescents. Although we cannot infer
the
direction of causality from our data, we speculate that
scheduling
regular family mealtimes may foster teen health; however, it is
also
possible that healthy teens are more likely to participate in
family
mealtimes. Family routines provide the bedrock for building and
maintaining emotional health throughout the life span (Fiese et
al.,
2002). Future research should assess the possible benefits of
plac-
ing a premium on family meals as a venue for consolidating an

17. adolescent’s sense of self and connection to family. We also
found
notable relationships between the atmosphere of the mealtime
environment and self-esteem among overweight male and
female
participants. A home base marked by affirming mealtime
conver-
sations may enhance the self-esteem of overweight youths from
the core. Using a detailed family mealtime interaction coding
system, Dickstein and Martin (2002) demonstrated a strong rela-
tionship between family mealtime environment and early child-
hood social and emotional competence. We urge a fuller
prospec-
tive examination of these mealtime dynamics in adolescence,
especially with overweight teens.
Our findings with overweight teens are consistent with previous
research showing the harmful effects of weight-based teasing on
psychosocial well-being among adolescents (Eisenberg et al.,
2003; Keery et al., 2005). Although such teasing has an obvious
link to adverse outcomes, our data suggest a less obvious
connec-
tion between parental encouragement to diet and decrements in
well-being among overweight youths. The strength and pattern
of
results generally varied as a function of participant and parental
gender; detrimental patterns emerged for paternal
encouragement
to diet among female adolescents and maternal encouragement
to
Table 3
Standardized Hierarchical Regression Coefficients for
Overweight Girls (n � 684) Estimating Four Psychosocial
Outcomes From
Demographic Variables, General Family Connectedness, Family

18. Mealtime Environmental Variables, and Weight-Based Family
Influences
Variable
Depressed mood Self-esteem Body satisfaction
Unhealthy weight-
control behaviors
�R2 � �R2 � �R2 � �R2 �
Block 1: Demographics .03*** .01 .04*** .03***
Grade .08* .08 �.09* .06
Parental marital status �.07 .01 .09 .03
Race/ethnicity �.06 .15** .13** �.09*
Block 2: General family connectedness .05*** .06*** .03***
.04***
Family Connectedness Scale �.17** .16** .11* �.21***
Block 3: Family mealtime environment .01 .03*** .01 .04***
Priority of family Meal Scale �.09 .01 .06 �.24***
Positive Meal Atmosphere Scale �.01 .19*** .06 .09
Block 4: Familial commentary about weight .07*** .06***
.05*** .06***
Weight-Based Teasing by Family Scale .22*** �.15***
�.17*** .06
Father encourages to diet .00 �.17** �.08 .22***
Mother encourages to diet .11* �.03 �.08 .02
Total R2 .15 .15 .13 .16

19. Note. Change in R2 values indicate the associated significance
test for change in R2 as each block of variables is entered into
the model. Beta estimates
are shown for final model only; all standard error of estimates
ranged from .04 to .05.
* p � .05. ** p � .01. *** p � .001.
184 BRIEF REPORTS
diet among male adolescents. Because male and female partici-
pants reported equivalent rates of maternal and paternal encour-
agement to diet (50% and 40%, respectively), the pattern cannot
be
attributed to differential prevalence. Alternative explanations
for
this cross-gender configuration await future research, yet the
over-
all finding is apparent: Even well-intentioned parental
encourage-
ment to diet may backfire.
The study focus on specific food- and weight-related family
factors beyond general family connectedness provides important
information regarding potential areas for intervention and future
research. By choosing to control for general family
connectedness
early in the model, we were able to assess the amount of unique
variance in psychosocial variables associated with family meal-
time environment and familial weight commentary. However,
the
significant associations between family connectedness and psy-
chosocial well-being highlight the robust role of general
feelings

20. of family connectedness in adolescent well-being.
Study limitations include the self-reported and abbreviated na-
ture of the psychological measures. Using full scales would
have
been prohibitive in our population-based design; therefore, we
are
unable to compare our findings with the original scales.
Further-
more, assessment of familial weight-based teasing is based on a
single item. Also, the present study was cross-sectional by
design;
thus, we cannot directly infer that negative family influences
caused poor psychological health among youths—adolescents
with
poor psychosocial health likely experience and influence their
family environment negatively. Potential moderating effects of
race/ethnicity were not assessed owing to small sample sizes,
and
these effects should be assessed in future research. Finally, al-
though significant, our models ultimately accounted for a rela-
tively small proportion of the total variance in well-being.
Study strengths include the exploration of the links among
family mealtime environment, familial commentary about
weight,
and well-being in a large population-based, ethnically diverse
sample of overweight youths. Including an array of global and
weight-specific measures of family interaction along with a
range
of well-being variables allows for a more fine-grained analysis
than in past investigations. In addition, the sample size was
large
enough to allow for gender stratification. Finally, because BMI
was measured objectively, our findings are not confounded by

21. self-report biases regarding weight.
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Table 4
Standardized Hierarchical Regression Coefficients for
Overweight Boys (n � 667) Estimating Four Psychosocial
Outcomes From
Demographic Variables, General Family Connectedness, Family
Mealtime Environmental Variables, and Weight-Based Family
Influences
Variable
Depressed mood Self-esteem Body satisfaction Unhealthy
weight-control behaviors

23. �R2 � �R2 � �R2 � �R2 �
Block 1: Demographics .01 .01 .00 .02*
Grade .05 .09 �.02 �.08
Parental marital status �.01 .05 .05 �.01
Race/ethnicity �.06 .03 .02 .01
Block 2: General family connectedness .06*** .11*** .10***
.07***
Family connectedness Scale �.20*** .26*** .28*** �.22***
Block 3: Family mealtime environment .02** .02** .01 .01*
Priority of Family Meal Scale �.14** .09* �.03 �.09*
Positive Meal Atmosphere Scale �.01 .10* .12* �.06
Block 4: Familial commentary about weight .04*** .08***
.06*** .09***
Weight-Based Teasing by Family Scale .16*** �.18***
�.15*** .09*
Father encourages to diet �.04 �.04 �.12* .11*
Mother encourages to diet .15** �.20*** �.09 .21***
Total R2 .14 .23 .17 .19
Note. Change in R2 values indicate the associated significance
test for change in R2 as each block of variables is entered into
the model. Beta estimates
are shown for final model only; all standard error of estimates
ranged from .04 to .05.
* p � .05. ** p � .01. *** p � .001.

24. 185BRIEF REPORTS
Kandel, D. B., & Davies, M. (1982). Epidemiology of
depressive mood in
adolescents: An empirical study. Archives of General
Psychiatry, 39,
1205–1212.
Keery, H., Boutelle, K., van den Berg, P., & Thompson, J. K.
(2005). The
impact of appearance-related teasing by family members.
Journal of
Adolescent Health, 37, 120 –127.
Koplan, J. P., & Dietz, W. H. (1999). Caloric imbalance and
public health
policy. Journal of the American Medical Association, 282, 1579
–1581.
Mellin, A. E., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M., Ireland, M., &
Resnick,
M. D. (2002). Unhealthy behaviors and psychosocial difficulties
among
overweight adolescents: The potential impact of familial
factors. Journal
of Adolescent Health, 31, 145–153.
Neumark-Sztainer, D., Falkner, N., Story, M., Perry, C.,
Hannan, P. J., &
Mulert, S. (2002). Weight-teasing among adolescents:
Correlations with
weight status and disordered eating behaviors. International
Journal of

25. Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 26, 123–131.
Neumark-Sztainer, D., Wall, M., Story, M., & Fulkerson, J. A.
(2004). Are
family meal patterns associated with disordered eating
behaviors among
adolescents? Journal of Adolescent Health, 35, 350 –359.
Neumark-Sztainer, D., Wall, M., Story, M., & Perry, C. L.
(2003). Corre-
lates of unhealthy weight-control behaviors among adolescents:
Impli-
cations for prevention programs. Health Psychology, 22, 88 –98.
Resnick, M. D., Bearman, P. S., Blum, R. W., Bauman, K. E.,
Harris,
K. M., Jones, J., et al. (1997). Protecting adolescents from
harm: Find-
ings from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent
Health. Jour-
nal of the American Medical Association, 278, 823– 832.
Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image.
Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press.
Steinberg, A. B., & Phares, V. (2001). Family functioning, body
image,
and eating disturbances. In J. K. Thompson & L. Smolak (Eds.),
Body
image, eating disorders, and obesity in youth (pp. 127–148).
Washing-
ton, DC: American Psychological Association.
Stradmeijer, M., Bosch, J., Koops, W., & Seidell, J. (2000).
Family

26. functioning and psychosocial adjustment in overweight
youngsters. In-
ternational Journal of Eating Disorders, 27, 110 –114.
Tanofsky-Kraff, M., Yanovski, S. Z., Wilfley, D. E.,
Marmarosh, C.,
Morgan, C. M., & Yanovski, J. A. (2004). Eating-disordered
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61.
Taveras, E. M., Rifas-Shiman, S. L., Berkey, C. S., Rockett, H.
R., Field,
A. E., Frazier, A. L., et al. (2005). Family dinner and adolescent
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Rockville, MD: Author.
Videon, T. M., & Manning, C. K. (2003). Influences on
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27. Prevention, 10, 321–334.
Received December 14, 2005
Revision received August 23, 2006
Accepted August 28, 2006 �
186 BRIEF REPORTS
PSYC101 Journal Article Review Assignment - Part 1
Enter your name and student ID here:
_4379152__________________
Then respond to the following succinctly and thoroughly in the
spaces below.
NOTE: You must complete your work in this document, save
and attach it to the PSYC101 Journal Article Review
Assignment - Part 1 classroom Assignment page; while you may
want to do so as a back-up, content pasted into the assignment
page Student Comments space cannot be accepted as a
substitute for an on-time attachment submission and cannot be
graded. Inserting your answers here will change the number of
document pages and the location of particular items at the top,
middle or bottom of pages.
While you may not remove or reorder items or change font size
or other content in this document, a document page number
increase or an item moving from or to the top, middle or bottom
of a page as a result of your response entries directly below
each item as required taking more lines in most cases than the
small space currently showing is to be expected and is not of
concern.
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ARTICLE IDENTIFICATION – 10 points possible
NOTE: Both Number 1 and Number 2 below must be completed
to earn these points

28. 1. In the space below explain why you picked the article you
selected for this assignment from the classroom Resources
folder. Include a description of what about the focus of the
article you chose captured your interest and why.
According to recent studies, one in every three American kids
and youths is overweight. Obesity is a primary health issue with
both genetic and environmental risk factors. These factors have
increased the prevalence of the subject of obesity in modern
studies on the social and physical constructs of the modern
society. However, most of these studies are often founded on
the goal to explore the risks factors and the effects of obesity
not only to the individual, but also to the entire society. On the
contrary, the most intriguing characteristic of this article is the
shift of focus from the risk factors and effects to a greater
exploration of the role of the family on the well-being of obese
adolescents.
2. APA Citation Format
Show in the spaces below how you would source credit and
reference-list (in APA formatting style), if you were writing a
formal paper, the article you selected in the body of the paper
and in a Reference list that would be attached to the end of the
paper (for examples of how to correctly source credit in APA
formatting style see the classroom Resources folder entitled,
“APA Formatting Guides”):
a. I’d give credit of my selected article in the body of a paper in
the follow order:
(Fulkerson, Strauss, Neumark-Sztainer, Story, & Boutelle,
2007) for the first citation, and:
(Fulkerson et al., 2007) for subsequent credentials in the bulk of
the paper.
b. I would reference-list my selected article in Reference list
that would be attached to the end of a paper as follows

29. Fulkerson, J. A., Strauss, J., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M.,
& Boutelle, k. (2007). Correlates of Psychologcial Well-Being
Among Overweight Adolescents: The Role of the Family.
Journal of Consulting and clinical Psychology, 75(1), 181-186.
doi:10.1037/0022-006X.75.1.181
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Note: While Part 2 of the Journal Article Review assignment,
which is due in Week 6, includes minimum answer length
requirements, hereno minimum lengths are required for the
items below because answer length may vary depending on the
amount of descriptive detail your selected article includes and
your answers will be graded for thoroughness, accuracy and
clarity in covering article details. It is expected, however, that
none of the following items can be adequately addressed in
fewer than 100 words.You answers must be articulated in
complete thought sentences and not include lists, bulleted items
or sentence fragments.
ARTICLE SUMMARY – 40 points possible
1. Introduction (also referred to as lead-in information)
In the space below summarize the key introductory points made
in the beginning of your selected article Note: In some articles
this information is under the heading “Introduction” and in
others it is not, but every article will contain “lead-in”
introductory information.
The authors introduce the article by stating the prevalence ratio
of obesity among the U.S. adolescents. According to the
authors, obese adolescents have increased indisposition to
obesity and experience a myriad of psychological impacts
including suicidal ideation, low self-esteem and social
stigmatization. In addition, the article succinctly states its major
goal of assessing the role of the family environment in
imparting positive emotional well-being and healthy eating
habits among these individuals.

30. 2. Research Methods
a. Describe the research design that your selected article’s
author(s) used in conducting the study (Ex: survey or inventory,
individual or group interview, case study, laboratory controlled
or naturalistic observation).
In order to gain insight into the prevalence of obesity amongst
the adolescents, the data used in this study is based on a school-
based survey on an ethical diverse sample of 667 male and 684
female 7th-12th graders at risk of obesity. The metrics used in
the research methodology targeted family connectedness,
unhealthy weight-control procedures, family eating habits,
depression and body satisfaction. A hierarchical linear
regression assessment was used to measure the variables, which
were assessed concurrently.
b. Identify by name in the space below any specific measures
(surveys, inventories, tests, etc.) used by your selected article’s
author(s) in the study (Ex: the Psychological Distress Symptom
Checklist; the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory; the
Attitudes about Seeking Professional Psychological Help
Survey; or measures developed by the article author[s]).
The data used in this study were retrieved from the Project EAT
(Eating Among Teens), a detailed study of the eating habits
amongst a sample of 4,746 ethnically diverse teenagers from 31
schools in the Midwestern part of the U.S.
c. Describe in the space below characteristics of the participants
(sometimes called “subjects”) involved in the research study
conducted by the author(s) of your selected article. Examples
of this type of information include: The number of persons who
participated; participant demographics (age, gender, race and
ethnicity, college or employment status, geographic location);
whether participants were paid to participate in the study or if

31. no compensation was provided to them for their participation
The Project EAT surveyed 4,746 ethnically diverse young
people of between the 7th grade and the 12th grade, from 31
different schools in the Midwest U.S. However, this present
study focused on a sample of 1351 – 667 male and 684 female –
ethnically dissimilar participants. There was a wide variation in
attributes associated with the metrics or scales used in the study
amongst the participants.
3. Findings/Analysis
a. Identify in the space below the types of statistical analyses
used by the author(s) of your selected article Note: You are
likely not at this point in your college career an expert on
statistical analyses but don’t have to be in order to complete
this portion of the assignment which only requires listing them
by name.
The dependent variables used in the analysis include depressed
mood, UWCB items, body satisfaction and self-esteem. On the
other hand, the independent variables used during the data
analysis include priority of family meals, parental
encouragement, demographic variables, and positive atmosphere
during mealtimes, and family connectedness. These variables
were subjected to a hierarchical multiple linear regression data
analyses.
b. In the space below, summarize the research findings (often
referred to in articles as “results”) of the study conducted by the
author(s) of your selected article.
Primarily, the outcomes of the analyses prove significant
interrelations between most of the independent variables.
Secondly, the results show an insignificant correlation between
family connectedness and the mother’s reinforcement of diet.
Thirdly, the results show that gender enforces a significant
impact on the parental encouragement to diet. Finally, the
results indicate disapprove relationships between demographic

32. factors and psychosocial well-being for obese male participants.
However, family connectedness is robustly associated with all
of the four psychosocial variables.
4. Conclusion/Discussion
Summarize in the space below the conclusions reached by the
author(s) of your selected article. Note: These may be found
under the heading “Conclusion” or “Discussion” or in
paragraphs near the end of the article and are based on the
research findings of the author(s) of your selected article.
The results of the analysis conform to previous research o
weight teasing on the psychosocial wellbeing of the obese kids.
The findings of the study reveal that the family plays a
significant role in the management of the psychosocial impacts
of obesity on kids and adolescents. The specific roles of the
family include prioritization of family meals, enforcing a
positive family meal environment, adopting healthy family
weight-control behaviors. The article suggests that a regular
family mealtime presents greater chances of fostering teen
health.
Apart from the large sample size, some of the strengths of the
sample include ethnically varied sample of obese adolescents
and assessment of the relations between family mealtime
environment and familial commentary about obesity. In
addition, a wide range of weight-specific variables and
measures make the research fine-grained relative to previous
investigations. However, some of the weaknesses of this study
include self-reported and abridged nature of the psychological
metrics, inability to compare the research findings with the
original scales, and the insufficient assessment of the potential
moderating impacts of race or ethnicity.
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33. Reminder: After you have completed your work, save and attach
this document, with your name as part of the document file
name, to the Journal Article Review Assignment Part 1
Assignment page.
PSYC101 Journal Article Review Assignment - Part 2
Article Analysis, Connection, and Reflection
Due: 11:55pm ETSunday at the end ofWeek 6of the 8-week
course term
You may work on this assignment ahead of its deadline but may
not submit it prior to Week 6.
Points Possible: 140
OVERVIEW: For Part I of this two-part assignment you
identified and summarized elements of a published scholarly
article selected from the classroom Resources Folder. For Part
2, which is due by the end of Week 6, you will analyze,
connect, and reflect on aspects of your selected article. Note
that the words “succinct” and “thorough” repeat regularly in the
instructions below. They will serve as reminders that this is a
formal assignment and sentence fragments, bulleted lists,
conversational or other types of casual language cannot be used.
In completing Part 2 you will:
--Describe a research method alternative to the one used by
your selected article’s author(s) to study the same phenomena
-- Evaluate the potential impact on the “real world” of your
selected article’s research;
-- Apply three concepts from required textbook readings;
-- Identify an aspect of the article’s topic focus about which you
would like to know more
In composing your work use complete and clearly articulated
sentences in one or more paragraphs, as assigned below, a
minimum of 250 words each and citing sources in the body of
your writing and in a References list attached to the end of it.
Proofread your work carefully as proper spelling, grammar and
writing structure are required. All answers must be your

34. original words or paraphrases of material in your selected
article or the course textbook. No other sources may be used.
Copying from published material is a violation of the University
policy on academic integrity and will void all points for this
assignment with no option for revision and submission.
**You may work on this assignment ahead of its deadline but
may not submit it prior to Week 6 of the 8-week course term.
Begin your Part 2 work here.
Enter your name and student ID here: ___________________
Then respond to the following succinctly and thoroughly in the
spaces below
NOTE: You must complete your work in this document, save
and attach it to the assignment tab; while you may want to do so
as a back-up, content pasted into the assignment page Student
Comments space cannot be accepted as a substitute for an on-
time attachment submission and cannot be graded. Inserting
your answers here will change the number of document pages
and the location of particular items at the top, middle or bottom
of pages.
While you may not remove or reorder items or change font size
or other elements of this document and need to place your
responses directly under each item, page number increases or an
item moving from the top, middle or bottom of a page as a
result of you entering your responses is to be expected and is
not of concern.
===============================================
=====================================
ANALYSIS – 30 points possible (15 points each)
The authors of the article you have selected for this assignment
used a particular research design, group of participants, and set
of study methods to investigate a research question (sometimes
referred to in scholarly articles as the “hypothesis tested”). As
you know from early assigned readings in the course textbook,

35. research questions can be investigated using a variety of
methods.
1. Write a succinct and thorough paragraph in the space below
either justifying or challenging the use of your selected article’s
research methods used to examine its research question.NOTE:
You must base your writing on the course textbook information
about which research methods are best suited for which types of
studies, not on personal opinion or preference, and choose just
one position here. A paragraph that both justifies and
challenges the use of an article’s research methods or that states
why one position cannot be chosen cannot not be assigned
points. Include in the body of your writing appropriately placed
and formatted source citations for both the article and the
course textbook.2. Write a succinct and thorough paragraph in
the space below describing a research method other than the one
noted in your selected article that the article author(s) could
have used to conduct the same study and explain why it would
be suitable as an alternative method.NOTE: The alternative
research method you select must be suited for the article’s study
so you will want to review the assigned course readings on the
various types of methods. Include in the body of your writing
appropriately placed and formatted source citations for both the
article and the course textbook.
CONNECTION – 50 points possible (25 points each)
1. In the space below, write a succinct and thorough paragraph
(250 words minimum)describing three concepts, theories or
principles from the course textbook that can be related the focus
of your selected article. NOTE: Research methods and
statistical analyses have already been addressed earlier in this
assignment and cannot be used as textbook concepts here.
Include in the body of your writing appropriately placed and
formatted source citations for both the article and the course
textbook.

36. 2. One of the most interesting aspects of the field of psychology
is the application of its concepts, theories, and principles to
everyday life. In the space below, write a succinct and
thorough paragraph (250 words minimum)describing at least 3
different ways that the research conducted by your selected
article’s author(s) can impact the “real world”. Include in the
body of your writing appropriately placed and formatted source
citations for the article and the course textbook (if you use the
latter in the construction of this paragraph).
REFLECTION – 50 points possible (25 points each)
1. Although the author(s) of your selected article addressed
many aspects of its focus of study, it is inevitable that
components were not discussed that might also be interesting.
In the space below, write a succinct and thorough paragraph
(250 words minimum)explaining one aspect of your selected
article’s focus that the researchers did not mention that you
would like to know more about. Include in the body of your
writing appropriately placed and formatted source citations for
the article and the course textbook (if you use the latter in the
construction of this paragraph).
2. Combined, the Week 3 and Week 6 portions of this
assignment provided several opportunities, to identify the key
components of a published scholarly journal article, to
demonstrate knowledge of research methods use in studying
psychological phenomena, (Week 3); and second, to develop
and hone article summary and analysis skills (Week 6). With
the second opportunity in mind, in the space below, write a
succinct and thorough paragraph (250 words
minimum)describing three aspects of summarizing and
reviewing a published scholarly journal article that you now

37. understand that you didn’t know about before starting the
assignment. NOTE: You are reflecting on your learning
experience here, not summarizing or evaluating the selected
article. This is the only part of the assignment to be written
personal reflection style. It is expected that you would have few
or perhaps no source citations here, using them only for
portions of your reflective work that are directly based on either
your selected article or the course textbook.
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==================================
SPELLING, GRAMMAR, AND CITATIONS – 10 points
possible(Nothing to type here. This is an alert to go back and
proofread your writing and make any needed corrections before
submitting this assignment to avoid the loss of these 10
important points. Tip: Look for basic grammar errors [ex:
using “their” when you are talking about one person),
misspellings and typos, correctly spelled but incorrectly used
words that SpellCheck won’t catch, sentence fragments that
don’t state complete thoughts, run-on sentences that should be
split into smaller ones or sentences that read awkwardly or
don’t make sense when you read them aloud, etc.).
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===================================
After you have completed your work, save and attach this
document, with your name as part of the document file name, to
the Journal Article Review Assignment Part 2 Assignment page.