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A soon-to-be-published study from the University of California, San Diego reveals that young women can be happy with their bodies at any size. Overweight women who reported being satisfied with their size and shape were also shielded from some of the harmful behavioral and psychological effects that can be associated with being overweight.

The study examined the relationship between body satisfaction and healthy psychological functioning in overweight adolescents, assessing factors such as body satisfaction, weight-control behavior, the importance placed on thinness, self-esteem and symptoms of anxiety and depression in 103 participating adolescents.

The researchers found that girls who reported being happy with the size and shape of their bodies had higher levels of self-esteem.

“We found that girls with high body satisfaction had a lower likelihood of unhealthy weight-control behaviors like fasting, skipping meals or vomiting,” said researcher Kerri Boutelle.

She added the positive relationship between a girl’s happiness with her body and her behavioral and psychological well-being suggests that improving body satisfaction “could be a key component of interventions for overweight youth.”

“A focus on enhancing self-image while providing motivation and skills to engage in effect weight-control behaviors may help protect young girls from feelings of depression, anxiety or anger sometimes associated with being overweight,” said Boutelle.

The May issue of Counseling Today looks at the important role counselors can play in addressing childhood obesity. Read “A family affair” here.

Source: University of California, San Diego

Heather Rudow is a staff writer for Counseling Today. Email her at hrudow@counseling.org.

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Postnatal depression is typically associated with new mothers, but a recently released study from the Parenting Research Centre in Australia found that the mental health of new fathers is negatively affected just as often by the arrival of a baby.

The study, which included 3471 Australian biological fathers involved in the early stages of childhood, found that one in 10 reported experiencing anxiety, depression and stress in the first year after the birth of their child.

In comparison with Australian men in the general population, fathers in the postnatal period – especially those who were younger and living in more disadvantaged communities – were more likely to report having psychological distress.

“Fatherhood is a great time of excitement and significance” said study co-author Jan Nicholson. “However, the birth of a baby brings enormous changes in parents’ lives. Even for fathers with other children, a new baby results in sleep disruption combined with increased financial demands, domestic burdens, and the need to renegotiate the balance between work, parenting, family roles and responsibilities. It is not surprising then that fathers, like mothers, can find this a challenging time.”

Additionally, postnatal distress seems to put these fathers at risk for mental distress in the future:

“While these problems did not persist beyond the first two years for around half the fathers affected in the postnatal period, the remainder had persistent or recurrent distress when their children were toddlers and preschoolers. By the time children were 4-5 years of age, 30%-60% of those who had previously reported distress, reported distress at this time, compared to just 5% of fathers who had not previously reported any distress.”

Said lead researcher Rebecca Giallo on the findings, “Much important work has gone toward early identification and treatment of maternal adjustment difficulties in the postnatal period. This research suggests that fathers would also benefit from early intervention for any psychological distress during the postnatal period. This is an important step toward ensuring that fathers are linked into appropriate support as they adjust to the changes brought about by a new baby in the family, with potential benefits for well-being of the whole family.”

Source: Parenting Research Centre

Heather Rudow is a staff writer for Counseling Today. Email her at hrudow@counseling.org.

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A Concordia University professor hopes to bring awareness to the field of music therapy and how it can help clients not only heal from difficult events but also unite individuals with a passion for social justice.

For more than 30 years, Sandra Curtis, a professor in Concordia’s Department of Creative Arts Therapies, has used music as a tool for deeper psychological dialogue with clients ranging from abused children and palliative care patients to female survivors of domestic violence and individuals struggling with problems in the workplaces.

In her recent article, “Music therapy and social justice: a personal journey,” Curtis discusses her experiences as a music therapist, the evolution of the field over time and the ways in which music can serve as a “rallying cry that unites individuals seeking social justice.” Using this context, she then focuses on the practice of feminist music therapy.

“This type of therapy often presents work with an explicit focus on social justice for women, children and other marginalized people,” says Curtis, “but it can also expand to address such global issues as war and the environment with a feminist understanding of their impact on marginalized people worldwide.”

Curtis will be discussing her experiences with gender and music therapy at the first international Gender, Health & Creative Arts Therapies conference being held at Concordia May 5-6.

Source: Concordia University, PsychCentral

Also read Counseling Today’s online exclusive, “Using a wider lens to conceptualize client problems,” for another perspective on social justice and the counseling profession.

Heather Rudow is a staff writer for Counseling Today. Email her at hrudow@counseling.org.

Follow Counseling Today on Twitter.