Dr. Arigo's Research Program

My research investigates the interplay between physical and emotional health, with particular emphasis on two broad topics. First is the examination of social influences on health and health behavior. Much of this work has applied advances in social theory to health populations; for example, elucidating the process and consequences of social comparisons (i.e., comparisons to others in the social environment) among individuals with medical and psychiatric conditions. In this area, I am most interested in how social comparisons can guide health behaviors relevant to eating and weight (e.g., dietary choices, physical activity), and how beneficial comparisons can be facilitated using online social networking platforms. Populations relevant to this work include obesity, diabetes, anorexia and bulimia nervosa (as well as subclinical disordered eating and body dissatisfaction), and Celiac Disease. Second is the improvement of intervention design and delivery. This interest is informed by clinical work in integrated care environments. My focus is twofold: (1) affect-based or emotion regulation interventions such as expressive writing, and (2) optimizing eHealth and mHealth programs by incorporating beneficial social processes via online networking. These interventions can be used as primary or adjunctive techniques in a variety of health-relevant contexts and settings. This work is relevant to a wide range of populations, including disorders of eating and weight, insomnia and other sleep difficulties, substance use disorders, anxiety, and depression.

Recent Publications:

*denotes student author

Arigo, D., Smyth, J.M., & Suls, J.M. (in press). Perceptions of similarity in response to selected comparison targets in type 2 diabetes. Psychology & Health.

*Berner, L. A., Arigo, D., Mayer, L.E.S., Sarwer, D., & Lowe, M.R. (in press). Examination of central body fat deposition as a risk factor for loss-of-control eating. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Lowe, M.R., Arigo, D., Butryn, M.L., *Gilbert, J.R., Sarwer, D., & Stice, E. (in press). Hedonic hunger prospectively predicts onset and maintenance of loss of control eating among college women. Health Psychology.

Funderburk, J.S., Arigo, D., & Kenneson-Adams, A. (in press). Initial engagement and attrition in a national weight management program: Demographic and health predictors. Translational Behavioral Medicine.

Arigo, D., Funderburk, J.S., *Hooker, S., Dundon, P., Dubbert, P. et al. (in press). The Veterans Health Administration’s MOVE!® weight management program: Primary care clinicians’ perceptions of program implementation. Military Medicine.

Arigo, D., *Hooker, S., Funderburk, J.S., Dundon, M., Dubbert, P. et al. (2015). Perceptions of attrition from a national primary care weight management program. Primary Health Care Research & Development.

Butryn, M.L., Arigo, D., *Raggio, G., *Colasanti, M., & Forman, E.M. (in press). Enhancing physical activity promotion with technology-based self-monitoring and social connectivity: A pilot study. Journal of Health Psychology.

Butryn, M.L., Arigo, D., *Raggio, G.A., Kaufman, A.I., *Kerrigan, S.G., & Forman, E.M. (in press). Measuring the Ability to Tolerate Activity-Related Discomfort: Initial validation of the Physical Activity Acceptance Questionnaire (PAAQ). Journal of Physical Activity & Health.

Arigo, D., *Schumacher, L.M., *Pinkasavage, E., & Butryn, M.L. (2015). Addressing barriers to physical activity among women: A feasibility study using social networking-enabled technologyDigital Health.

Arigo, D., Smyth, J.M , Haggerty, K., & *Raggio, G.A. (2015). The social context of the relationship between glycemic control and depressive symptoms in type 2 diabetes. Chronic Illness.

*Pinkasavage, E., Arigo, D., & *Schumacher, L.M. (2014). Social comparison, negative body image, and disordered eating behavior: The moderating role of coping style. Eating Behaviors, 16, 72-77.

Arigo, D., *Schumacher, L.M., & *Martin, L.M. (2014). Upward appearance comparison and the development of eating pathology in college women. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 47, 467-470.

Arigo, D., Suls, J., & Smyth, J.M. (2014). Social comparisons and chronic illness: Literature synthesis and clinical implications. Health Psychology Review, 8, 154-214.

*Raggio, G., Butryn, M.L., Arigo, D., *Mikorski, R., & Palmer, S. (2014). Prevalence and correlates of sexual morbidity in long-term breast cancer survivors. Psychology & Health, 29, 632-650.

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