Chaos and Psychosocial Health in Low-Income Overweight or Obese Women

Objective: Using baseline data from a community-based weight-gain prevention intervention study, the authors examined whether coping self-efficacy moderated the associations between chaotic home environment and psychosocial health (perceived psychosocial stress, depressive symptoms, and positive and negative affect) in low-income women who are overweight or obese. Method: Participants (N = 740; Mage = 28.06 ± 5.12) completed validated self-report measures of coping self-efficacy, chaotic home environment, perceived psychosocial stress, depressive symptoms, and positive and negative affect. Composite indicator structural equation modeling was used to test the moderation effects. Effect size was calculated using proportion of maximum possible (POMP) scores in the endogenous variables per unit change in the exogenous variable. Results: Coping self-efficacy significantly moderated the associations between chaotic home environment and depressive symptoms (p < .001, POMP = −0.62%) and between chaotic home environment and negative affect (p < .01, POMP = −0.36%). However, coping self-efficacy did not moderate the association between chaotic home environment and perceived psychosocial stress or positive affect. Conclusions: This study suggests that coping self-efficacy could explain some individual differences in responses to home chaos or to interventions aimed at alleviating depressive symptoms and negative affect in low-income women who are overweight or obese and who experience chaos at home.