51
Views
11
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Article

Psychosocial and familial impairment among overweight youth with social problems

, , , , , , , & show all
Pages 428-435 | Received 09 Apr 2009, Published online: 17 Mar 2010
 

Abstract

Objective. Emerging research indicates that overweight children with social impairments are less responsive to weight control interventions over the long term. A better understanding of the breadth and psychosocial correlates of social problems among overweight youth is needed to optimize long-term weight outcomes. Methods. A total of 201 overweight children, aged 7–12 years, participated in a randomized controlled trial of two weight maintenance interventions following family-based behavioral weight loss treatment. Children with HIGH (T≥65) versus LOW (T<65) scores on the Child Behavior Checklist Social Problems subscale were compared on their own and their parents’ pre-treatment levels of psychosocial impairment using multivariate analysis of variance. Hierarchical regression was used to identify parent and child predictors of social problems in the overall sample. Results. HIGH (n=71) children evidenced greater eating disorder psychopathology and lower self-worth, as well as a range of interpersonal difficulties, compared with LOW children (n=130; ps<0.05). Compared with parents of LOW children, parents of HIGH children reported greater levels of their own general psychopathology (p<0.05). Parent psychopathology significantly added to the prediction of social problems in the full sample beyond child sex and z-BMI (ps<0.01). Conclusion. A substantial minority of overweight youth experience deficits across the social domain, and such deficits appear to be associated with impairment in a broad range of other psychosocial domains. Augmenting weight loss interventions with specialized treatment components to address child and parent psychosocial problems could enhance socially-impaired children’s long-term weight outcomes and decrease risk for later development of psychiatric disturbances.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by NIH grants R01 HD036904, K24 MH070446, and T32 HL007456, and NCRR grants KL2 RR024994 and UL1 RR024992. Parts of this paper were presented at NAASO-The Obesity Society’s annual meeting (October, 2007).

Declaration of interest: Dr. Epstein serves as a consultant for Kraft Foods and NuVal. The authors report no conflicts of interest or financial disclosures. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.