This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (13)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Public Health  • Obesity  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Michelle D. Myers, MA; Hollie A. Raynor, MS, RD; Leonard H. Epstein, PhD

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1998;152:855-861.

Objective:  To explore the influence of 1-year changes in child obesity and maternal psychopathology on changes in child psychological problems.

Design  Hierarchical regression models were used to predict child psychological change, with demographic variables, maternal psychological change, and child percentage overweight change as predictors.

Setting  Pediatric obesity research clinic.

Participants  Clinic sample of 116 obese 8- to 12-year-old children and their mothers.

Interventions  Family-based behavioral weight-control program.

Main Outcome Measures  Child psychopathology was assessed via mother-reported Child Behavior Checklists and maternal psychopathology was determined by standardizing scores on the Cornell Medical Index and the Symptoms Checklist-90–Revised.

Results  Significant improvements were observed in child percentage overweight (-20.1% overweight), and child and maternal psychopathology. Improved maternal psychopathology accounted for a significant amount of variance in improvements in the Child Behavior Checklist total Problems Scale and internalizing and externalizing problems subscales. Decreased obesity accounted for a significant amount of variance in improvements in the Total Competence scale and, somatic complaints, social problems and social competence subscales of the Child Behavior Checklist. Significant interactions of child obesity change by sex were found for Total Problems and externalizing scores. The interactions were due to girls with greater obesity reduction showing greater improvement in Total Problems, whereas boys with greater obesity reduction showed less improvement in externalizing problems.

Conclusions  These results highlight the multidimensional nature of psychosocial functioning in obese children and call attention to multiple avenues for intervention to improve their psychosocial functioning.

From the Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

American Heart Association Childhood Obesity Research Summit: Executive Summary
Daniels et al.
Circulation 2009;119:2114-2123.
FULL TEXT  

American Heart Association Childhood Obesity Research Summit Report
Daniels et al.
Circulation 2009;119:e489-e517.
FULL TEXT  

Weight, Exercise, and Health: Children's Perceptions
Snethen and Broome
Clin Nurs Res 2007;16:138-152.
ABSTRACT  

Childhood Overweight and Parent- and Teacher-Reported Behavior Problems: Evidence From a Prospective Study of Kindergartners
Datar and Sturm
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2004;158:804-810.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Review of Group Interventions for Pediatric Chronic Conditions
Plante et al.
J Pediatr Psychol 2001;26:435-453.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Are Overweight Children Unhappy?: Body Mass Index, Depressive Symptoms, and Overweight Concerns in Elementary School Children
Erickson et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2000;154:931-935.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT