Claudia Unikel Santoncini

Objective: This study aimed to validate the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire‐4 (SATAQ‐4) in Mexican women, evaluating its factor structure, internal consistency, temporal stability, convergent validity, and measurement invariance in women with and without an eating disorder (ED) diagnosis. Method: The sample included 1220 women (123 with a self‐reported clinical ED diagnosis and 1097 without one), aged 18–73. Participants completed the SATAQ‐4, the seven‐item Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE‐Q7), and the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ‐8D). Analyses included exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability testing (Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, and test–retest), and measurement invariance analyses. Results: EFA supported a five‐factor structure (peers, media, muscular, family, and thin) explaining 69.36% of the variance. CFA showed excellent model fit (CFI = 0.99; RMSEA = 0.034; SRMR = 0.049). Internal consistency was high (subscales α = 0.86–0.96; total‐scale α = 0.88–0.90), while test–retest reliability ranged from moderate to strong ( r = 0.56–0.90). Convergent validity was supported by significant correlations with EDE‐Q7 and BSQ‐8D. Strict invariance was supported, and structural models showed adequate fit indices, although some latent parameters may differ between groups; scores were higher in the self‐report clinical group. Discussion: The SATAQ‐4 demonstrates strong psychometric properties in Mexican women. Its invariance supports meaningful comparisons between self‐report clinical and non‐clinical groups, making it a valuable tool for identifying sociocultural risk factors and informing prevention and intervention strategies.

Introduction. Eating disorders are serious illnesses with a complex, heterogeneous etiology. Sociocultural pressure from the media, family, and peers are among the risk factors associated with their emergence. Objective. To design, obtain construct and convergent validity, total and test-retest reliability at three weeks of a Family Pressure To Be Thin Questionnaire in a Mexican university population, and undertake a comparison with a clinical group diagnosed with an eating disorder, and by sex. Method. The study was undertaken with a sample of 369 university students (men/women/non-binary) and 50 subjects diagnosed with an eating disorder. Exploratory factor analysis and first and second order confirmatory factor analysis were performed and the reliability of the scale and the test-retest reliability at three weeks were obtained. Correlations were analyzed to obtain concurrent validity with the Family Pressure Subscale of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Scale (SATAQ-4), and comparisons were made with the clinical group and by sex. Results. Based on the exploratory factor analysis, the scale was divided into eight factors, reduced to seven in the confirmatory factor analysis, and 10 questions were eliminated, with a model that fit the data. A Cronbach’s Alpha value of .94 was obtained and test-retest reliability was .86. Discussion and conclusion. The results highlight the importance of contextualizing the family environment when examining eating disorders, with interventions aimed at reducing criticism of bodies and food being crucial. The scale consisted of 29 items divided into seven factors and was valid and reliable for the sample studied and will be useful for detecting one of the sociocultural risk factors for eating disorders.

The validation of the short form of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-SF) was conducted in the Mexican population by administering the original version (SCS), previously validated in Mexico, to a sample of 1,250 university students. A four-factor solution was identified, explaining 48.7% of the variance. The three items with the highest loadings for each factor were selected, resulting in a 12-item version with the dimensions of Self-Kindness, Common Humanity, Mindfulness, and Self-Criticism. This structure was confirmed with acceptable fit indices and good item loadings per dimension. Convergent and divergent validity analyses indicated adequate correlations, and the test-retest reliability at 3 months was acceptable. Thus, a validated 12-item version of the SCS-SF for university students in Mexico was obtained, demonstrating sound psychometric properties.

Body dissatisfaction is a risk factor for eating pathology, it is required reliable and valid instruments for its evaluation in child population, both in clinical and population settings. The objective of this paper was to obtain the exploratory and confirmatory validity and reliability of the Body Dissatisfaction Scale and correlations with age, the Perception of Teasing Scale (POTS) and Body Mass Index (BMI), in a sample of 378 children, girls (n=193) and boys (n= 185) ages eight to twelve (X=10.22 years; SD=0.94). No statistically significant differences were found by sex or age. Items were grouped into a conceptually clear, statistically robust factor, with confirmatory factor analysis yielding adequate indices of goodness of fit, with a McDonald’s Omega of .88. Correlations with POTS and BMI were positive and statistically significant. The adapted version of the Body Dissatisfaction Scale to the Mexican child population constitutes a useful instrument for evaluating body dissatisfaction.

Introduction: Overweight and obesity constitute a serious public health problem worldwide. Objective: To assess the effects of bariatric surgery on psychopathology, quality of life, eating behaviors, and attitudes toward food. Method: A pretest-posttest longitudinal correlational quasi-experimental study with 6 months follow-up was performed. Seventy adult participants (X= 36.3, SD= 9.3) with morbid obesity were included. Six instruments were administered in two evaluations, one preoperative and one postoperative. These included the Brief Questionnaire to Measure Disordered Eating Behaviors, the Nighttime Intake Questionnaire, the Eating Attitudes Scale, the Symptom Checklist, the Brief Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Participants' body mass index was also measured. Results: Forty-one participants responded to the post-surgical evaluation. BMI decreased from a mean of 40.6 to 29.9; high-risk eating behaviors decreased from 2.4% to 0%; nighttime eating, from X=5.36 to X=3.87; negative attitudes toward food, from X=52.51 to X=37.74; psychopathology, from X=62.64 to X=26.0; and sleep quality, from X=9.39 to X=4.56. Meanwhile, quality of life increased from M=88.0 to M=98.0, showing statistically significant differences. Conclusion: We found that health variables increased, and disease indicators decreased between baseline and 6 months follow-up of bariatric surgery, with a medium effect size.

Background/Objective: Problems associated with eating and weight in childhood are complex and have a multifactorial etiology. In recent years, childhood obesity has become a global public health problem with short- and long-term physical, psychological, and social health consequences. This is a cross-sectional study that evaluates the relationship between parenting styles, eating styles, and parents’ body mass index (BMI) and their children’s body mass index (BMI) and disordered eating behaviors (DEBs). Method: A sample of 372 dyads of mothers or fathers (mean age = 38 (SD = 8.8)) and boys or girls (mean age = 8.9 years (SD = 0.31)) was used. Results: Path analysis found that an authoritarian parenting style had a significant positive relationship with food approach (β = 0.36, p < 0.001) and food avoidance factors (β = 0.23, p < 0.001). Parental depression was positively associated with food approach (β = 0.20, p < 0.001) and food avoidance factors (β = 0.19, p < 0.001). Food approach factors significantly predicted compensatory behaviors (β = 0.14, p < 0.001). Lastly, both binge eating (β = 0.10, p < 0.05) and compensatory behaviors (β = 0.31, p < 0.001) showed significant positive relationships with children’s BMI. Conclusions: A clearer understanding of the relationships among these factors could facilitate earlier and more effective interventions targeting nutrition- and weight-related issues.

Introduction: Regarding eating psychopathology, the international literature shows that between 7% and 17% of children aged seven to twelve present with disordered eating behaviors. Objective: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Self-administered Children’s Binge Eating Disorder Scale (SA-C-BEDS) as a screening tool for the risk of binge eating disorder (BED) in a Mexican child population. Method: The self-administered version of the C-BEDS was translated into Spanish and adapted, and its reliability, and exploratory and confirmatory validity obtained. It was sent to two samples of elementary school pupils from May-July 2022 through the SurveyPlanet online platform. Results: A total of 378 children (girls = 193 and boys = 185) with a mean age of 10.22 years (SD = .94), with no differences by sex, answered the questionnaire. “Eating without being hungry” was the main behavior reported (44.8% in girls and 33.7% in boys), followed by eating associated with a certain mood (25% in girls and 21.8% in boys). The scale was distributed within a single factor, obtaining a significant Bartlett’s test of sphericity, .73 on the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test and an Ordinal alpha reliability of .81. Confirmatory validity showed that the model fits the data and is valid. Discussion and conclusion: Preliminary evidence of the validity and reliability of the SA-C-BEDS for evaluating the risk of binge eating behaviors in Mexican children was obtained, suggesting that this scale is useful for the timely identification of the risk of BED cases.

Background: Disorder eating behaviors (DEB) are precursors to eating disorders, and can cause biopsychosocial dysfunction. Methods: The effect of two universal prevention based on Cognitive Dissonance, specifically the Body Project (BP) and the Prevention of Unhealthy Eating Behaviors and Sedentary Lifestyles (Spanish acronym PECANSS) on DEB, thin-ideal internalization (TII), drive for muscularity (DM), body dissatisfaction (BD), negative-affect (NA), moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated in a non-probabilistic sample of Mexican university students. It was a quasi-experimental and longitudinal study (pretest-posttest-one-year follow-up) of four intervention groups (IG) and two control groups (CG) by sex. Valid questionnaires were administered to 318 students to measure the variables (65% women; Mage = 19.35 years; SD = 1.82). Results: In women at the intragroup level, reported a decrease in IGs over time in DEB (IG-1-PECANSS-R; IG-4-BP-R; IG-5-BP), TII (IG-4-BP-R; IG-5-BP), DM (IG-4-BP-R), BD (IG-5-BP), NA (IG-4-BP-R) and increased MVPA (IG-1-PECANSS-R), BMI (IG-2-PECANSS; IG-4-BP-R). Among intragroup men, decreased NA (IG-5-BP) and, increased MVPA (IG-2-PECANSS), BMI (IG-4-BP-R). There were no differences between groups in the variables at the end of the interventions. Conclusions: The results suggest that depending on participants' sex and IG, the programs had an intragroup effect on DEB and other variables evaluated.

Las conductas alimentarias de riesgo son manifestaciones dirigidas al control del peso corporal, similares a los trastornos de conducta alimentaria, y se asocian con factores de riesgo biológicos, psicológicos y sociales. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar la relación de los estilos de crianza y el perfeccionismo sobre las conductas alimentarias de riesgo en una muestra de estudiantes universitarios de Ciudad de México. Para ello, se empleó una muestra de 384 hombres y mujeres, estudiantes de licenciatura en una universidad privada, con una media de edad de 21.9 años, a quienes se aplicaron tres escalas previamente validadas en esta población. La conducta alimentaria se asoció con las subescalas Preocupación por los errores, Indecisión de acción y Expectativas paternas del Inventario Multidimensional de Perfeccionismo, y con las subescalas Comunicación y Control conductual, Autonomía, Imposición y Control psicológico de la relación con la madre, e Imposición y Control psicológico de la relación con el padre de la Escala de Prácticas Parentales. Dado que se encontró una relación entre las tres variables de estudio, sería importante poner atención al rasgo de perfeccionismo y a los estilos de crianza de los jóvenes cuando se estudian las conductas alimentarias de riesgo. Recibido: 30/05/2023Aceptado: 11/01/2024