Graduation Year
2015
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ph.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Psychology
Major Professor
Eric A. Storch, Ph.D.
Co-Major Professor
Vicky Phares, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Alison Salloum, Ph.D., LCSW
Committee Member
Joel K. Thompson, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Tammy Allen, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Eun Sook Kim, Ph.D.
Keywords
Adolescent, Anxiety, Body Mass Index, Child, Health-Related Quality of Life
Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to examine putative mediators and moderators in the association between adiposity and anxiety in a sample of overweight and obese youth. In addition, anxiety was examined as a potential moderator between adiposity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Participants were youth (N = 137) between 8 and 17 years old (M = 13.09, SD = 2.61) and their legal caregivers recruited from four medical clinics affiliated with the University of South Florida. Youth were primarily overweight (28.5%) or obese (64.2%) and ethnically diverse. Data were analyzed by path analysis. Weight-related teasing significantly mediated the association between adiposity and child reported anxiety, but competency-related teasing and peer victimization were not significant mediators. Internalization of appearance ideals significantly moderated the association between adiposity and anxiety by child report; however, no significant moderations were found for parent report. Additionally, sociocultural pressures to meet appearance ideals were not significant moderators by child or parent report. Notably, anxiety significantly moderated the association between adiposity and social functioning by child report, with those experiencing greater anxiety evidencing poorer social quality of life. However, anxiety did not moderate the association between adiposity and other domains of HRQOL by parent or child report. Given the significant increase in pediatric overweight and obesity in recent decades, it is particularly important to understand the psychosocial implications of excess adiposity in youth. Clinical and research implications are discussed focusing on the mechanisms between adiposity and anxiety and suggested clinical interventions to address said mechanisms.
Scholar Commons Citation
Burke, Natasha L., "The Relation between Adiposity and Anxiety in Youth: Analysis of Peer Victimization, Teasing, Sociocultural Influences, and Internalization of Appearance Ideals as Explanatory Variables" (2015). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/5651
