OBJECTIVE We examined the etiology of two disordered eating characteristics. METHOD Participants included 1,470 female adolescent and young adult twins and their female nontwin siblings. Phenotypic factor analyses of a seven-item eating pathology screening tool yielded two factors: weight and shape concerns and behaviors (WSCB) and binge eating (BE). Univariate and bivariate extended twin ana...

Using data collected in a general population survey from a random sample of individuals in four communities in Pennsylvania, we tested the following two hypotheses: (1) that differences in sociodemographic characteristics exist among individuals with variant positions on environmental issues; and (2) that individuals with different positions on environmental issues exhibit dissimilar levels of ...

This study sought to determine the perspective taken toward understanding adolescent sexual risk behaviors and related biological outcomes (i.e. pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases) since 1990. We content analyzed 324 abstracts representing observational research published between January 1990 and December 2007 for inclusion of ecological (environmental) factors, level of analysis, sample ...

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between cognitive function in pediatric sickle cell disease (SCD) patients and mothers' reports of social-environmental stress, depressive symptoms, and parenting. A total of 65 children with SCD completed comprehensive neuropsychological testing to assess several domains of cognitive functioning, including general intellectual ability, acad...

INTRODUCTION: Enriched environments normally increase behavioral repertoires and diminish the expression of abnormal behaviors and stress-related physiological problems in animals. Although it has been shown that experimental animals infected with microorganisms can modify their behaviors and physiology, few studies have evaluated how environmental enrichment affects these parameters. This stud...

This paper explores the relationships between perceptions, behaviors and awareness regarding four environmental conditions in South Africa: water pollution, land degradation, air pollution and littering. Data from the 2004 General Household Survey are used. First, the extent to which these perceptions, behaviors and levels of awareness correspond to those found in other parts of the world is as...

ADHD is the most common behavioral disorder in children, manifesting as a cluster of abnormalities including attention deficit/inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, all of which impair the child's ability to function. Autism, on the other hand, is characterized by dysfunction in social interaction and communication and is associated with restrictive, repetitive, and stereotypic behaviors...

Numerous behavioral theories and models include “environment” as a construct. For example, social cognitive theory posits that behavior is influenced by individual factors in combination with the social and physical environment (Bandura, 1986). A social ecologic perspective acknowledges multiple levels of behavioral determinants, including individual, interpersonal, organizational, and communit...