Honors Theses
College
College of Arts and Sciences
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Department of Psychology
Department
Department of Psychology
Degree
Bachelor of Science
Major
Psychology
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
Objective: Research pertaining to Body Mass Index (BMI) and Childhood Trauma (CT) is very limited, with the main focus being on how these two variables correlate, disregarding other possible covariates. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of CT on BMI while including Exercise Frequency as a mediator of this relationship and sex as a moderator for both the direct and indirect relationships among these variables. Methods: Participants included 1,812 individuals (57.9% female and 42.1% male) who completed the Behavior Health Questionnaire, which included questions looking at exercise frequency, CT, and BMI. Results: CT was related negatively to exercise frequency, which acted as a mediator between CT and BMI. Sex only moderated the direct effect of CT on BMI. Conclusion: Sex and exercise frequency were both influential variables in the relationship between CT and BMI. Future research should focus on other variables such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression, among others, to expand on the complex relationship between CT and BMI.
Date Defended
12-1-2021
Thesis Director
McKinney, Clifford
Second Committee Member
Berman, Mitchell
Third Committee Member
Elder, Anastasia
Recommended Citation
Durham, Andreana, "The Indirect Effect of Childhood Trauma on Body Mass Index Through Exercise Frequency" (2021). Honors Theses. 93.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/honorstheses/93
