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Examining the Relationships Among Perceived Parental Support, Hope, Optimism and Weight Status

Jensen, Melissa A.

Abstract Details

2011, Master of Arts, University of Toledo, Psychology.
With the prevalence of individuals who are overweight or obese reaching approximately half of the United States population and successful, long-term treatments for weight loss being difficult for health officials to pinpoint, the general consensus is that obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight into adulthood is difficult to accomplish. However, some individuals are able to successfully achieve a healthy weight status and researchers have become interested in understanding how these individuals differ from their less-successful counterparts. Previous research suggests that individuals who succeed at achieving a healthy weight status may exhibit strong positive psychology traits such as optimism and self-efficacy. The current study addressed the relationships among perceived parental support, hope, optimism and weight status. Additionally, the ability of these positive psychology factors to predict successful weight loss and maintenance for individuals who were formerly overweight or obese before the age of 16 was addressed. Participants included 70 undergraduate students (58.6% females) ages 18-31 (mean age = 19.5). Each participant completed a background questionnaire, the Adult Hope Scale (Snyder, et al, 1991), the Life Orientation Test, Revised (LOT-R) (Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994), and a short questionnaire regarding their perceived level of parental support as it pertains to healthy weight management. Each participant’s height and weight were also measured. It was hypothesized that higher scores on parental support, optimism, and hope will predict a healthier BMI, and parental support will be most predictive of healthier BMI, followed by hope and optimism. Using hierarchical multiple regression analyses and correlations, the levels on these three constructs were evaluated to compare individuals who are now of a healthy weight status to individuals who continue to be overweight or obese. Results indicated that parental support, hope, and optimism are not strong predictors of successful weight loss and maintenance in this population. Correlational results suggest that hope is related to the occurrence of a significant amount of weight loss. This finding promotes the idea that hope should be further researched as a component of the successful weight loss experience. Limitations in study design, the implications that the results may have on future weight- and positive psychology-related research, and future research directions are discussed.
Mojisola Tiamiyu, PhD (Committee Co-Chair)
Jeanne Brockmyer, PhD (Committee Co-Chair)
Michele Knox, PhD (Committee Member)
Wesley Bullock, PhD (Committee Member)
69 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Jensen, M. A. (2011). Examining the Relationships Among Perceived Parental Support, Hope, Optimism and Weight Status [Master's thesis, University of Toledo]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1321586300

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Jensen, Melissa. Examining the Relationships Among Perceived Parental Support, Hope, Optimism and Weight Status. 2011. University of Toledo, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1321586300.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Jensen, Melissa. "Examining the Relationships Among Perceived Parental Support, Hope, Optimism and Weight Status." Master's thesis, University of Toledo, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1321586300

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)