Biomedical subjects

S W Bryson

Publications and source records attributed to S W Bryson.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

Attachment style and weight concerns in preadolescent and adolescent girls.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the association between attachment style and weight concerns, a major risk factor for eating disorders, in preadolescent and adolescent girls. METHOD: Three hundred and five female elementary and middle school students completed measures of attachment style and weight concerns. RESULTS: Insecurely attached subjects reported higher weight concerns than did securely attached subjects. A greater proportion of insecurely attached subjects obtained "at risk" weight concerns scores than securely attached subjects. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that attachment style may play an important role in the development of weight concerns, which, in turn, have been shown to be associated with the onset of eating disorders.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

Psychosocial predictors of physical activity in adolescents.

Regular physical activity consistently demonstrates an inverse relationship with coronary heart disease and has positive effects on quality of life and other psychological variables. Despite the benefits of exercise, many youth and adults maintain a sedentary lifestyle. Interventions are needed, particularly with youth, to increase levels of physical activity. A better understanding of the psychosocial predictors of physical activity will aid in structuring these interventions. Longitudinal data from a cohort of 743 10th-grade students from the control condition of the Stanford Adolescent Heart Health Program were analyzed. Regression analysis indicated that psychosocial variables were significantly related to physical activity after controlling for baseline levels of physical activity and BMI. Associations with physical activity were found for intention to exercise, self-efficacy, stress, and direct social influence. The designers of future interventions should consider including program components that target these variables.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1987

Perspectives on adolescent substance use. A defined population study.

We asked 1447 tenth graders to complete a survey on physical activity, nutrition, stress, and substance use and to undergo basic physical assessments. In a multiple regression analysis, increased level of substance use by both boys and girls was most strongly predicted by friends' marijuana use. For boys, this was followed by perceived safety of cigarette smoking; poor school performance; parents' education; and use of diet pills, laxatives, or diuretics for weight control, accounting for 44% of the overall variation in substance use. For girls, friends' marijuana use was followed by poor school performance; self-induced vomiting for weight control; perceived safety of cigarette smoking; use of diet pills, laxatives, or diuretics for weight control; parents' education; perceived adult attitudes about cigarettes; and nonuse of seat belts, accounting for 53% of the overall variance. Separate multiple regression analyses for each substance produced similar results. The homogeneity of the study population precluded ethnic comparisons. These findings suggest that for many purposes substance use may be considered a single behavior regardless of the specific substance(s) used and that substance use may exist as part of a syndrome of adolescent problem behaviors. In addition, the potent influence of perceived social environment suggests that a social influence resistance model may represent the most successful preventive strategy.

Adolescent↗