Henning Carmen, Seiferth Caroline, Färber Tanja, Pape Magdalena, Herpertz Stephan, Steins-Loeber Sabine, Wolstein Jörg
Department of Psychopathology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany.
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany.
Clin Psychol Eur. 2024 Dec 20;6(4):e12089. doi: 10.32872/cpe.12089. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Addressing patients' perceptions of the causes of their overweight and obesity may be a promising approach to enhance treatment motivation and success. Previous research suggests that there are gender differences in these aspects. The objective of this study was to investigate gender differences in causal attributions among individuals with overweight and obesity who participated in a cognitive-behavioral mobile health (mHealth) intervention.
Causal attributions were assessed using the revised Illness Perceptions Questionnaire, which included a rated and open answering section. An ANCOVA was conducted for each causal factor (behavioral, psychological, risk, external) as a dependent variable to determine gender differences, which were analysed with chi-squared tests for open-ended responses.
The most frequently mentioned and highly rated cause was behavior for both genders (59.8% of 639 responses). The results indicated that women rated psychological causes, particularly stress-related causes, significantly higher, (1,211) = 14.88, < .001, η = .07, and were more likely to cite emotional eating than men, χ(1, = 639) = 15.06, < .001. Men rated alcohol stronger as cause than women, (125.05) = 3.79, < .001.
The findings of this study contribute to the understanding of the gender differences in causal attributions among individuals with overweight or obesity. Implementing stress management interventions with a focus on emotion regulation is pivotal, especially for females. Interventions should focus on sensitizing males to the association between emotions and eating behavior. The causal attributions should be assessed with different survey methods in order to match the patient's view of their condition.
了解患者对自身超重和肥胖原因的认知，可能是提高治疗动机和成功率的有效方法。先前的研究表明，在这些方面存在性别差异。本研究的目的是调查参与认知行为移动健康（mHealth）干预的超重和肥胖个体在因果归因上的性别差异。
使用修订后的疾病认知问卷评估因果归因，该问卷包括评分和开放式回答部分。对每个因果因素（行为、心理、风险、外部）作为因变量进行协方差分析，以确定性别差异，并对开放式回答进行卡方检验分析。
男女提及最多且评分最高的原因都是行为（639份回答中的59.8%）。结果表明，女性对心理原因，特别是与压力相关的原因评分显著更高，F(1,211)=14.88，p<.001，η²=.07，并且比男性更有可能提及情绪化进食，χ²(1,N = 639)=15.06，p<.001。男性将酒精作为原因的评分比女性更高，t(125.05)=3.79，p<.001。
本研究结果有助于理解超重或肥胖个体在因果归因上的性别差异。实施以情绪调节为重点的压力管理干预措施至关重要，尤其是对女性而言。干预措施应注重让男性意识到情绪与饮食行为之间的关联。应采用不同的调查方法评估因果归因，以符合患者对自身状况的看法。
