Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Nutrients. 2022 Dec 20;15(1):8. doi: 10.3390/nu15010008.
Individual differences exist in perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD). PVD is associated with negative responses (e.g., disgust) towards individuals with obesity and heightened sensitivity regarding personal appearance. Through increasing fear of fat (FOF), PVD may be associated with cognitive restraint and compensatory behaviors. We utilized an adult sample ( = 247; 53.3% male sex assigned at birth) recruited through Amazon's MTurk prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to investigate associations between PVD, cognitive restraint and compensatory behaviors. Participants completed the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Scale, Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale, Dutch Eating Behaviors Questionnaire, and Goldfarb's Fear of Fat Scale. Mediation analyses were used to test our hypotheses. Perceived infectability (PVD-Infection) was associated with cognitive restraint and compensatory behaviors through increased FOF. Perceived germ aversion (PVD-Germ) was associated with cognitive restraint, but FOF did not mediate this association. Sex-stratified analyses revealed no significant sex differences. PVD may be an overlooked factor associated with cognitive restraint and compensatory behaviors in males and females. FOF was an important mediating factor in these associations. Increased engagement in cognitive restraint and compensatory behaviors may reflect attempts to reduce FOF. Future longitudinal research should explore whether PVD is a risk factor for cognitive restraint and compensatory behaviors.
个体对疾病的易感性感知存在差异（PVD）。PVD 与对肥胖个体的负面反应（如厌恶）以及对个人外表的高度敏感有关。通过增加对脂肪的恐惧（FOF），PVD 可能与认知控制和补偿行为有关。我们利用 COVID-19 大流行前通过亚马逊的 MTurk 招募的成年样本（= 247；53.3%为出生时被指定为男性的性别），调查了 PVD、认知控制和补偿行为之间的关系。参与者完成了疾病易感性感知量表、饮食障碍诊断量表、荷兰饮食行为问卷和 Goldfarb 的恐惧脂肪量表。中介分析用于检验我们的假设。通过增加 FOF，感知易感性（PVD-感染）与认知控制和补偿行为有关。感知细菌厌恶（PVD-细菌）与认知控制有关，但 FOF 并没有介导这种关联。性别分层分析没有显示出显著的性别差异。PVD 可能是男性和女性认知控制和补偿行为的一个被忽视的因素。FOF 是这些关联中的一个重要中介因素。更多地参与认知控制和补偿行为可能反映了减少 FOF 的尝试。未来的纵向研究应该探讨 PVD 是否是认知控制和补偿行为的一个风险因素。
