Browsing by Author "Galper, Daniel I."

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    Bulimic Symptomatology in College Women: To What Degree are Hypnotizability, Dissociation, and Absorption of Relevance?
    Galper, Daniel I. (Virginia Tech, 1999-04-08)
    Bulimia is often viewed as an extreme expression of eating concerns and body image disturbances that afflicts many adolescent and adult women. The cognitive strategies employed by individuals to inhibit eating and facilitate bingeing and purging are thought to include disattending internal sensations of hunger and satiety while sustaining attention on food, distorted beliefs, and interoceptive experiences (e.g., Heatherton & Baumeister, 1991). To the extent that these attentional and perceptual shifts mediate bulimic symptomatology, individuals with bulimic tendencies should exhibit certain cognitive attributes. Because hypnotizability, dissociation, and absorption have each been invoked (either directly or indirectly) as explanatory constructs for clinical and subclinical bulimia, the present study evaluated the absolute and relative effects of these factors on bulimic symptomatology in a large sample of undergraduate women (N = 309) using structural equation modeling. Following 2 assessments of hypnotic susceptibility (Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A [Shor & Orne, 1962] & Group Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C [Crawford & Allen, 1982]), participants completed measures of eating disorder symptomatology (Eating Disorders Inventory-2 [Garner, 1991]; Three Factor Eating Questionnaire [Stunkard & Messick, 1985]), dissociation (Dissociative Experiences Scale [Carlson & Putnam, 1986]; Dissociation Questionnaire [Vanderlinden et al., 1993]), and absorption (Tellegen Absorption Scale [Tellegen & Atkinson, 1974]; Differential Attentional Processes Inventory [Crawford, Brown, & Moon, 1993; Grumbles & Crawford, 1981]). A final model including the latent constructs Hypnotizability, Dissociation, Absorption, and Bulimic Symptomatology provided a very good fit to the data (X 2 (58, N = 309) = 31.09, NFI = .932, CFI = .967, & RMSEA = .053). As hypothesized, dissociation was found to a have moderate effect (Standardized coefficient = .32, p < .01) on Bulimic Symptomatology when controlling for Hypnotizability and Absorption. Moreover, contrary to past research, the path between Hypnotizability and Bulimic Symptomatology and the path between Absorption and Bulimic Symptomatology were not significant. Based on these finding, we can now speak with increased confidence of a meaningful link between dissociation and the continuum of bulimic symptomatology. A pathological dissociative style appears to contribute to the development of bulimia.
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    Understanding the motivation to use anabolic steroids: an application of the theory of reasoned action
    Galper, Daniel I. (Virginia Tech, 1995-04-11)
    The nonmedical use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) is an emerging public health concern. Despite a recent call for AAS prevention by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Lin & Erinoff, 1990), little theory-based research has been conducted on the etiology of AAS use. In the present study, the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) was used as a model for understanding and explaining the psychosocial factors which motivate weightlifters to use AAS. One-hundred-three male weightlifters (mean age = 23.3 years, range 18-39) completed a survey that assessed past drug use (including past AAS use) and constructs relevant to the TRA: attitudes about personal AAS use, subjective norms regarding personal AAS use, and intentions to use AAS over the next year. In addition, perceived behavioral control was assessed and the TRA was compared to the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Overall, seventeen (16.50/0) of participants reported the past use of AAS and nine (8.7%) reported the intention to use AAS at sometime over the next year. Multiple regression (MR) analyses revealed that respondents' attitudes (Beta = .72, D, < .001) towards personal AAS use significantly predicted AAS intentions and explained 55% of the variability in the intention to use AAS (i.e., R2 = .55). Further, when perceived behavioral control (PBC) was added to the model, both attitudes (Beta=.54, D,<.001) and PBC (Beta =-.37, D,<.001) were significant predictors of AAS intentions. With respect to other drug use behaviors, the past use of AAS was not significantly correlated with the use of alcohol, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, marijuana, or cocaine. Similar results were found for an adolescent sub-sample of 59 male weightlifters (Mean age = 19.9). These results provided strong support for the TRA (TPB) as an accurate model for explaining male weightlifters' motivation (intentions) to use AAS. Implications for the primary prevention of AAS based on these models are discussed in detail.