Purpose
The quantitative assessment of mindful eating has been challenging, even with the latest additions to the field of multifactorial mindful eating psychometric tools. This manuscript presents ...the development, validity and reliability assessment of a trait and state Mindful Eating Behaviour Scale across four studies driven by recent theory (Mantzios in Nutr Health 27: 1–5, 2021).
Methods
Study 1 assessed the content validity of the scale through ratings of clinical and research experts in the field. Study 2 inspected the scale through exploratory and confirmatory factor, parallel, correlation, and reliability analyses. Study 3 assessed the temporal stability through a test–retest in a 2-week interval. Study 4 assessed the scale in a randomized control experimental design, where a mindful eating (vs. control group) received the trait scale before consuming chocolate, and an equivalent state scale was modified to assess state changes during the 10-min eating session.
Results
Study 1 yielded items to be reflective and concise of the definition of mindful eating behaviour. Study 2 indicated 2 potential factors through exploratory factor analyses, which were further verified through a parallel analysis, while subscales correlation indicated one-dimensionality, which was further verified through confirmatory factor analysis. In addition, the internal consistency of the scale and subscales was good. Study 3 certified the reliability of the scale over time, while Study 4 indicated that both the trait and state scales were significant indicators of eating mindfully.
Conclusions
Together, all studies signal the utility of theoretically sound and empirically validated measurements for the replicable assessment of mindful eating behaviour.
Level of evidence
: No level of evidence: basic science.
The word Philotimo has often been literally translated from Greek to English as ‘love for honour’ or a ‘sense of honour’. This love for honour is described as being a pillar of upholding societal ...functioning at an optimal level, and an instigator of doing what is right for oneself and others; yet, there is no literature measuring or defining Philotimo. Philotimo is a commitment to unconditional selfless acts that are aligned to a sense of a moral identity; a definition derivative of the literature search and the enquiry of the core principles of Philotimo of the present research. In six studies (N = 1144), the development and validation of the Philotimo Scale is described. In Study 1, Greek participants were asked to rate how much they thought they possessed the trait, which correlated with the total score of the scale, while in Study 2 bilingual Greeks were asked to fill in both versions of the scale with a 2-week interval. Study 3 assessed the reliability of the scale, and Study 4 its stability over time. Study 5 assessed the factor structure, and Study 6 validated the scale against other standardised scales. Together these studies propose a reliable and valid measure that is representative of the Greek sense of Philotimo.
Aim
Promoting mental health and preventing ill mental health are worldwide concerns, with many personal and societal implications. While there are different initiatives to reduce stigma and ...discrimination, and prevent and treat mental health, the initiatives appear to fall short. This short communication situates the problems around mental health, after and during higher education years, and reviews Mental Health First Aid Training and its potential in university contexts through peer support schemes.
Subjects and methods
Literature on (1) Mental Health First Aid Training and (2) peer support in higher education was explored separately and in association.
Results
Reviewing the literature revealed that the association between Mental Health First Aid Training and peer support did not exist in academic literature, deterring a potential interposition of greater public health.
Conclusion
The article describes a radical and innovative way to enhance mental health across cultures and societies and collectively through universities to impact mental health positively for current and future generations.
Mindfulness has been associated with the use of coloring books for adults; however, the question of whether they do increase mindfulness has not been addressed. In two studies, we attempted to ...identify whether mindfulness is increased, and whether there is a need for ongoing guidance while coloring, similar to mindfulness meditation. In the first randomized controlled experiment, university students (
= 88) were assigned to an unguided mandala coloring group (i.e., described in mainstream literature as a mindfulness practice) or to a free-drawing group. Measurements of state mindfulness and state anxiety were taken pre- and post- experiment. Results indicated no change in mindfulness or anxiety. In the second randomized controlled experiment, university students (
= 72) were assigned to an unguided mandala coloring group (i.e., same as Experiment 1), or, to a mindfulness-guided coloring group (i.e., same as the unguided coloring group with a mindfulness practitioner guiding participants as in mindfulness breathing meditation, with instructions modified and applied to coloring). Results indicated that the mindfulness-guided mandala coloring group performed better in decreasing anxiety, but no change was observed in mindfulness. Exit interviews revealed that some participants did not like the voice guiding them while coloring, which suggested further differing and significant findings. While mindfulness-guided coloring appears promising, guidance or instructions on how to color mindfully may require further development and adjustment to enhance health and wellbeing.
Caring for oneself through mindfulness and compassion to improve or enhance health behaviors, and specifically eating behaviors has come to the forefront of scientific inquiry. The experiences and ...challenges for people in decision making around food within the context of self-kindness for body and mind care have not been previously explored.
This study explored the experiences of eating behaviors in a community sample and examined the understanding of self-kindness and its relationship to eating behaviors and wellbeing of body and mind.
A phenomenological theoretical position was taken; data were collected using individual semi-structured interviews. The sample was twenty-five members of the wider community in the West Midlands in England. The data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) procedural steps for thematic analysis.
Two overarching themes were inductively formulated: 'Thinking about eating' and 'Caring for body and mind'. Five themes were constructed: (a) Treat food is exceptional eating, (b) The proof of the pudding is in the planning, (c) Dieting is a dirty word, which are subsumed under Thinking about eating, and (d) Self-kindness is a disavowed abstract noun, and (e) Self-kindness: A rose by any other name; under Caring for body and mind. Participants described a number of ways of treating themselves both with food and with other activities and pleasure in eating was discussed in terms of social aspects of eating rather than food. Two clear contradictions within narratives around eating and health behaviors were shown. Participants largely eschewed the concept of dieting, but described engaging in highly regulated and restrained eating. There was a lack of connection with the notion of self-kindness; although positive eating and exercise health behaviors were undertaken, they were described as necessary self-regulation, not construed as acts of self-kindness.
The results suggests a lack of ease in the interpretation of being kind to oneself as a means of improving mental wellbeing, and an inability to relate self-kindness to physical health behaviors. The association of self-kindness with self-indulgence, and the described disconnect between hunger, satiety and pleasure in eating has implications for interpretation of mindful eating scales, practices and interventions.
While much research has focused on overeating when exploring constructs of mindfulness, mindful eating, and self-compassion, there is limited research on the specific relationship of these constructs ...with consumption of energy-dense foods that have a large impact on weight regulation. In a cross-sectional study, university students (
n
= 546) were recruited to explore the relationship between mindfulness, mindful eating, self-compassion, and fat and/or sugar consumption. Results indicated that all constructs were negatively related to fat and sugar consumption, but self-compassion did not do so in a univariate fashion. When investigating subscales, negative aspects such as isolation and over-identification show a significant positive relationship to fat and sugar consumption. Possible explanations and future directions are discussed further with an emphasis on the need for more empirical work.
Level of Evidence: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.
Objectives
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) care is entering a period of personalised medicine with the emergence of CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator therapies. Anecdotally individuals are ...reporting life-changing effects of modulator therapies, proposing an important area of study.
Methods
Twenty adult participants (males: 8, age range: 22–51 years, average FEV1: 53.45%) were recruited via social media to participate in a semi-structured interview; 17 participants were currently taking Elexacaftor/Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor (Kaftrio).
Results
An appreciation of a “normal life” post-modulator therapy is paramount, with improvements in symptoms and quality-of-life bringing a more urgent imperative for the provision of effective support to encourage positive health and lifestyle choices.
Discussion
In this new era of CF care, there remains many challenges present for the CF community, with participants suggesting that proactive psychological support is required along with proactive awareness regarding health risk behaviours for the current and future CF generations.
This study examined the factor structure of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) using secondary data drawn from 20 samples (N = 11,685)-7 English and 13 non-English-including 10 community, 6 student, 1 ...mixed community/student, 1 meditator, and 2 clinical samples. Self-compassion is theorized to represent a system with 6 constituent components: self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness and reduced self-judgment, isolation and overidentification. There has been controversy as to whether a total score on the SCS or if separate scores representing compassionate versus uncompassionate self-responding should be used. The current study examined the factor structure of the SCS using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) to examine 5 distinct models: 1-factor, 2-factor correlated, 6-factor correlated, single-bifactor (1 general self-compassion factor and 6 group factors), and 2-bifactor models (2 correlated general factors each with 3 group factors representing compassionate or uncompassionate self-responding). Results indicated that a 1- and 2-factor solution to the SCS had inadequate fit in every sample examined using both CFA and ESEM, whereas fit was excellent using ESEM for the 6-factor correlated, single-bifactor and correlated 2-bifactor models. However, factor loadings for the correlated 2-bifactor models indicated that 2 separate factors were not well specified. A general factor explained 95% of the reliable item variance in the single-bifactor model. Results support use of the SCS to examine 6 subscale scores (representing the constituent components of self-compassion) or a total score (representing overall self-compassion), but not separate scores representing compassionate and uncompassionate self-responding.
Public Significance Statement
This study examined the factor structure of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) in 20 diverse samples (N = 11,685), and excellent fit was found in every sample for an Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) single-bifactor model (with 95% of item variance explained by a general factor) and an ESEM 6-factor correlated model. Results support use of a total SCS score or 6 subscale scores, but not 2 separate scores representing compassionate and uncompassionate self-responding.
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