Sensory Food Aversions occur frequently in children who are likely to appear on Speech-Language Pathologist’s (SLP’s) caseloads. The lack of research regarding intervention for Sensory Food Aversions in schools and the assertion of a gap in school-based services for children with feeding disorders was a significant indicator for the need of the study. A quantitative, descriptive, exploratory research design was selected using a self-developed questionnaire in order to exploreschool-based SLP’s perceptions of their knowledge and skills related to Sensory Food Aversions, as well as determine resources available for working with this population. Findings from the study suggest a need for educational training, emphasize the advocacy role of an SLP, and shed light on the challenges/barriers SLPs face in regard to treating Sensory Food Aversions in schools. This study may be useful for SLPs in order to meet the needs of children with Sensory Food Aversions.

Restrictive eating behaviors occur across ages, but little is known about symptoms of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), especially in adults. This study sought to examine the prevalence of symptoms of ARFID in the adult population, providing a psychometric evaluation of the Eating Disorders in Youth-Questionnaire (EDY-Q) and population norms.

Self-regulation in the context of a relationship, described as relationship "work," is a powerful predictor of relationship satisfaction. Identifying individual characteristics that predict the practice of relationship self-regulation (RSR) can inform clinical and couple relationship education interventions. Anxious and avoidant attachment have been linked to shortcomings in self-regulation in various contexts, and were hypothesized to be negatively associated to individual practice of RSR; neuroticism, a personality trait characterized by negative emotionality, was also hypothesized to be negatively related to RSR. Neuroticism was also tested as a moderator of the relationship between attachment and RSR. Data from first-married men (589) and women (912) taking the RELATE online questionnaire was used in correlational and OLS multiple regression analyses to test hypotheses and a research question. Bi-variate correlations for all predictor variables and RSR were negative and statistically significant for women and men. Regression analyses echoed those associations. Moderated multiple regression analyses testing a moderator effect of neuroticism were significant for anxious attachment and RSR, but not for avoidant attachment. Results are interpreted as support for the theoretical model tested.

Childhood obesity has many negative impacts on health and occurs due to genetic, environmental, and contextual factors (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture [HHS and USDA], 2015). A major concern for this population of children is the resulting adverse effects on motor development, including challenges reaching appropriate developmental milestones impacting overall development and participation in daily activities (Cataldo et al., 2016). Occupational therapy practitioners can address multiple areas which contribute to this problem, including motor development and body functions, feeding and healthy meal preparation skills, family routines and activities of daily living, as well as contextual and cultural factors (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2020). WHOLE Family is an online family based approach directed at positively impacting childhood obesity and motor development through a holistic approach.

Objective Restrictive eating behaviors occur across ages, but little is known about symptoms of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), especially in adults. This study sought to examine the prevalence of symptoms of ARFID in the adult population, providing a psychometric evaluation of the Eating Disorders in Youth-Questionnaire (EDY-Q) and population norms. Method In a representative survey of the German population, N = 2,424 adults (1,297 women, 1,127 men; age 49.5 ± 17.5 years) were assessed with the EDY-Q and measures of eating disorder and general psychopathology for divergent validation. Results The point prevalence of self-reported symptoms of ARFID amounted to 0.8% (20/2,424), with 0.8% of women (10/1,297) and 0.9% of men (10/1,127) being affected. Adults with symptoms of ARFID were significantly more likely to have underweight or normal weight, were more likely to report restrictive behaviors and lower levels of eating disorder psychopathology and binge eating than noneating-disordered controls and adults with symptoms of an eating disorder, but did not significantly differ in levels of compensatory behaviors, or depression and anxiety. The EDY-Q revealed favorable item statistics, heterogeneity, and satisfactory construct validity, including factorial, discriminant, and divergent validity. Weight-status specific norms were provided. Discussion Both women and men from the population reported symptoms of ARFID with an anthropometric and psychopathological profile similar to that seen in youth with symptoms of ARFID, however, with lower prevalence estimates, and distinctive from that in other eating disorders. Interview-based assessment of this symptomatology is required to confirm the prevalence of ARFID diagnosis.

Background. This study sought to determine the distribution of early-onset restrictive eating disturbances characteristic of the new DSM-5 diagnosis, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) in middle childhood, as well as to evaluate the screening instrument, Eating Disturbances in Youth-Questionnaire (EDY-Q). Methods. A total of 1444 8- to 13-year-old children were screened in regular schools (3rd to 6th grade) in Switzerland using the self-report measure EDY-Q, consisting of 12 items based on the DSM-5 criteria for ARFID. Results. Forty-six children (3.2%) reported features of ARFID in the self-rating. Group differences were found for body mass index, with underweight children reporting features of ARFID more often than normal- and overweight children. The EDY-Q revealed good psychometric properties, including adequate discriminant and convergent validity. Conclusions. Early-onset restrictive eating disturbances are commonly reported in middle childhood. Because of possible negative short- and long-term impact, early detection is essential. Further studies with structured interviews and parent reports are needed to confirm this study’s findings.

Outpatient physical therapy clinics (OPTC), like many other healthcare organizations, face an array of challenges in meeting the needs of the growing elderly population. The leadership behavior of OPTC managers is a key component to secure employee loyalty, accommodate increased patient demand, and implement positive organizational change. The purpose of this nonexperimental quantitative survey designed study was to investigate the relationship between the leadership styles perceived by OPTC healthcare managers and nonmanagerial employees, as measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Short. The primary research question examined the difference between the OPTC managers' self-perceived leadership style and the nonmanagerial subordinates' perceptions of the manager's leadership style. The theoretical framework was the transformational and transactional leadership theory by Bass. Sampling was random and comprised of a minimal sample of 89 respondents. Data analysis included both descriptive and inferential statistics. Multiple regression analysis and correlations statistical models were used to predict the relationship of the dependent and independent variables. The results of the present study indicated a statistically significant relationship between the leadership style of OPTC managers and job effectiveness. All leadership styles of the OPTC managers were moderately correlated with job effectiveness, whereas passive/avoidant was negatively related to job effectiveness. This study is significant for OPTC leaders in their quest to create a leadership environment that fosters a positive influence on overall job performance and satisfaction among nonmanagerial staff, a formula for growth, and positive social change.

The process of forming a committed, romantic relationship is described as a developmental phenomenon that cannot be accurately viewed without the context of prior relationship experiences because the social competencies that facilitate successful navigation of the tasks of relationship formation are developed in relationships. Furthermore, a cumulative relationship history that has a negative influence may lead to poor emotional health, further disrupting relationship formation processes through that mechanism. Hypotheses were tested using data from a prospective longitudinal study of participants (218 women, 174 men) who were not in a romantic relationship at initial data collection and reported on their relationship status 4 times over the course of 1 year while completing the READY or RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE). Cumulative relationship history and emotional health prospectively predicted the intercepts in longitudinal growth curve analyses of relationship status, while mediational analyses supported the hypothesis that emotional health partially mediates the influence of cumulative relationship history on relationship status. The findings support the developmental conceptualization that inter- and intrapersonal capacities increase the probability of forming a committed, romantic relationship over time.

<p>The present thesis investigated family history and neurobiology of social phobia. Social phobia is a disabling disorder characterized by a marked fear of scrutiny in a variety of social situations. By using a validated questionnaire, study I related family history of excessive social anxiety to social phobia and avoidant personality disorder in epidemiologically identified probands in the Swedish general population. A two- to threefold increased relative risk of social anxiety was observed for both diagnostic groups. Thus, having an affected family member is associated with approximately a doubled risk for both social phobia and avoidant personality disorder.</p><p>The neurobiological studies explored situational and anticipatory elicited anxiety by means of positron emission tomography and 15O-water. Study II examined the functional neuroanatomy of social anxiety provocation in social phobics and a healthy comparison group during a public speaking task. Social phobia symptomatology was associated with higher neural activity in the amygdaloid complex, i.e. "the alarm system" of the brain, and lower activity in the prefrontal cortex. Study III examined the neural correlates of anxiety elicited by the anticipation of public speaking in individuals with social phobia. Anticipatory anxiety was accompanied by enhanced regional cerebral blood flow in the dorsolateral prefrontal and inferior temporal cortices as well as in the amygdaloid-hippocampal region. Brain blood flow was lower in the temporal pole and in the cerebellum. These results suggest that social phobia has a neuroanatomical basis in a highly sensitive fear network centered in the amygdaloid-hippocampal region and encompassing the prefrontal cortex.</p>

The present thesis investigated family history and neurobiology of social phobia. Social phobia is a disabling disorder characterized by a marked fear of scrutiny in a variety of social situations. By using a validated questionnaire, study I related family history of excessive social anxiety to social phobia and avoidant personality disorder in epidemiologically identified probands in the Swedish general population. A two- to threefold increased relative risk of social anxiety was observed for both diagnostic groups. Thus, having an affected family member is associated with approximately a doubled risk for both social phobia and avoidant personality disorder. The neurobiological studies explored situational and anticipatory elicited anxiety by means of positron emission tomography and 15O-water. Study II examined the functional neuroanatomy of social anxiety provocation in social phobics and a healthy comparison group during a public speaking task. Social phobia symptomatology was associated with higher neural activity in the amygdaloid complex, i.e. "the alarm system" of the brain, and lower activity in the prefrontal cortex. Study III examined the neural correlates of anxiety elicited by the anticipation of public speaking in individuals with social phobia. Anticipatory anxiety was accompanied by enhanced regional cerebral blood flow in the dorsolateral prefrontal and inferior temporal cortices as well as in the amygdaloid-hippocampal region. Brain blood flow was lower in the temporal pole and in the cerebellum. These results suggest that social phobia has a neuroanatomical basis in a highly sensitive fear network centered in the amygdaloid-hippocampal region and encompassing the prefrontal cortex.