The 40-item Fat Microaggressions Scale (FMS; Lindloff et al., 2024) assesses the frequency that fat people experience weight-related microaggressions, where microaggressions are brief, recurrent, commonplace acts that demean and discriminate against members of stigmatized groups. The FMS can be administered online or in-person to adolescents and adults who self-identify as fat, overweight, or higher-weight, and is free to use. This chapter first discusses the development of the FMS and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. More specifically, the FMS has a 4-factor structure within exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses: Direct Experiences (11 items), Indirect Experiences (12 items), Benevolent Weightism (11 items), and Clothing Exclusion (6 items). Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, criterion-related, incremental, and known-groups validity support the use of the FMS. Next, this chapter provides the FMS items in their entirety, instructions for administration and scoring, and the item response scale. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and contact information, are available for readers.

Executive function is an umbrella term used to describe a collection of complex cognitive processes, which include decision-making, acting as a mechanism of integration rather than a function in itself. It is thought to consist of three main elements: inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility – each of which is important in the execution of decisions. Executive functions, like decision-making, are especially difficult to understand and conceptualise due to their abstract nature. Abstract thinking refers to an ability to form ideas that are not concrete, or that cannot be perceived in the present environment – a key contributor to complex decisions that involve integration of past experiences and planning ahead.

This chapter introduces the concept of chilling effects and contextualizes it, both with historical and contemporary examples, including the chill of: recent state actions that are increasingly authoritarian; online surveillance in the Snowden leaks; big data collection in the Cambridge Analytica scandal; automated surveillance in Clearview AI; as well as the modern origins of the chilling effects concept. The author also discusses persistent skepticism about chilling effects by lawyers, judges, scholars, and researchers, and why, and provides an outline of the conformity theory advanced in the book. The author ends with a road map for the structure of the book.

The 6-item Distinctive Appearance Investment Scale (Tiggemann & Golder, 2006) assesses need for uniqueness in the appearance domain, i.e., an individual’s desire to look different and stand out. The Distinctive Appearance Investment Scale can be administered online or in-person to adolescents and adults and is free to use in any setting. This chapter first discusses the development of the Distinctive Appearance Investment Scale within the tattooing and body modification literatures and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. More specifically, the Distinctive Appearance Investment Scale has been found to have a single-factor structure. Internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity support its use. Next, this chapter provides the Distinctive Appearance Investment Scale items, instructions for administration, the item response scale, the scoring procedure, and known translations. Logistics of use, such as permissions and copyright, are provided for readers.

Social psychiatry focuses on the interpersonal and cultural contexts of mental disorder and mental wellbeing. Research in this area examines the relationship between psychiatric disorders and the social environment. This includes the consequences of positive or negative life events at the individual level, as well as broader themes – such as discrimination and inequality - at the societal level. This chapter aims to illustrate how research in social psychiatry has advanced our understanding of the role of social factors in the aetiology and management of mental disorders. We provide breakdowns of six high-impact research studies including summaries of background, methods, results, conclusions, strengths, and limitations. In addition, we provide some information about common pitfalls and methodological considerations that are specifically relevant to social psychiatry for novice researchers in this area, and our thoughts regarding future challenges and opportunities in this field.

This brief concluding chapter discusses key contributions of the book and explores how a “protective” counter-movement in law and policy – that protects against and resists state/corporate activities that weaponize and spread chilling effects – can be sustained over the long term; one that is evidence-based and addresses the dangers of chilling effects today and tomorrow.

Nigeria’s diverse history and ethnic diversity have shaped the country’s current understanding of bias and fairness, including issues relating to employment. This chapter focuses on employment testing bias and fairness in Nigeria. When making employment decisions, it is a common occurrence, albeit not a legally permissible one, to have factors such as age, sex, political beliefs, religion, ethnicity, and disability taken into account. Nigeria’s discrimination laws cover all employers, third parties, and licensure. However, Nigerian discrimination adjudication has a narrow purview. For instance, there are no clear standards for validity evidence, no rules for demonstrating disparate impact, no shifting of the burden of proof, and no recognition of disproportionate impact. The limited use of professionally designed selection processes also means that bias-related concerns receive little attention. Information about the impact of the legal environment on industrial and organizational psychology is similarly lacking. Nonetheless, there are initiatives aimed at professionalizing psychology in the nation, which should increase the reliability and validity of selection procedures.

The Curvy Ideal Silhouette Scale (CISS; Hunger et al., 2017) is a computer-generated figure rating scale utilized to assess the discrepancy between a woman’s perceived actual body versus ideal body across two dimensions: fat and curvaceousness. The CISS was developed to capture a broader spectrum of appearance ideals for young adult women, specifically related to research highlighting the potential to adhere to dual body ideals (thin, curvy) simultaneously. The CISS can be administered online or in-person to adolescent and adults who identify as women. This chapter first discusses the development of the CISS and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. Test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and incremental validity support the use of the CISS. Next, this chapter provides the CISS in its entirety, as well as instructions for administration and scoring. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and contact information, are available for readers.

The 16-item Male Body Talk Scale (MBT scale; Sladek et al., 2014) assesses the frequency with which men engage in negatively valenced body-related conversations with others. The MBT scale can be administered online or in-person with adolescents and adults and is free to use in any setting. This chapter first discusses the development of the MBT scale and then provides evidence regarding the measure’s psychometric properties. Specifically, research using the MBT scale has found evidence for a correlated two-factor structure (e.g., “Muscle Talk,” “Fat Talk”) identified through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with samples including male-identifying young adult college students and adults (ages 18-65), along with scalar (i.e., strong) invariance across three ethnic groups (Asian, Latino, and White) of male-identifying college students. Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and incremental validity support the use of the MBT scale. Next, this chapter provides the MBT scale items, instructions for administering the measure to participants, the item response scale, and the scoring procedure. The measure has been translated from English into Chinese (Mandarin) and administered with evidence of reliability and validity. Provided for readers also are logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and citation information.

This chapter has been written from the stance of a patient and public contributor to mental health research. It examines the role of patient and public involvement in mental health research which has evolved since the mid 1960s and continues to do so. Examining the people, roles and research and providing a definition for the different stages of Patient and Public Involvement, the chapter looks at how these roles interact, the ethics and rationale for involvement, the power relations between the various parties, whether involvement is moving the research agenda closer to preventative health care, and the subject of equality, diversity and inclusion. The difficulties of working with people with serious mental health issues are addressed. Case studies are given to illustrate various points. Subjects such as training and language are included. The complex subject of evaluation and impact and how they can be resolved are raised. Finally, the chapter concludes by inviting the reader to consider what ‘good PPI’ is, and how it is done.

Chapter 9 makes the case for critical changes in chilling effects law and doctrine based on the new understanding advanced in this book. The author argues, among other things, that judges should no longer remain skeptical of privacy chilling effects; that chilling effects doctrine should no longer privilege legal and regulatory forms of chilling effects over others; and that standing doctrine and other areas of law should also be reformed to accommodate this new understanding of chilling effects.

The 8-item Drive for Muscularity Attitudes Questionnaire (DMAQ; Morrison et al., 2004) assesses men’s desire to achieve a muscular physique, which is characterized by broad shoulders, a well-developed chest and arms, and a narrow waist. The DMAQ can be administered online or in-person to adolescents and adults who identify as male and is free to use. This chapter first discusses the development of the DMAQ and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. More specifically, the DMAQ has a unidimensional factor structure within exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, concurrent validity, and convergent validity support the use of the DMAQ. Next, this chapter provides the DMAQ items in their entirety, instructions for administration and scoring, and the item response scale. Links to available translations are included. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and contact information, are available for readers.

This chapter reviews issues pertaining to employment testing bias and fairness in Poland, which are discussed from the perspective of national legislative circumstances. In contrast to countries that are demographically more diverse in terms of national origin, and despite the existence of clear laws in this regard, Poland struggles with several problems connected with transparency and fairness in employment selection processes. In Poland, there is no single office that is responsible for regulating hiring procedures or controlling the development of standards for such. The general provisions on equal treatment formulated in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, as well as the more detailed provisions of the Polish Labor Code, which refers to European Union regulations, indicate that various institutions, including the Ombudsman, the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment, and the labor courts, are responsible for compliance with anti-discrimination procedures. Labor law in Poland is considered one of the most protective of employees’ interests in Europe; it contains regulations aimed at counteracting discrimination arising from belonging to a minority group.

To understand health communication in Ghanaian contexts and how arts are ‘activated’ in this sphere, indigenous ways of communicating health and navigating healing must be explored. I discuss these dynamics in two communities: Nkoranza, an Akan community, and Ga Mashie, a Ga community. Both communities adhere to a cultural imperative to ‘sell one’s illness in order to get a cure’. I argue that the ‘selling’ is health communication, while the ‘cure’ encompasses eclectic therapeutic options, including pharmacological, psychological and/or spiritual methods. These communities are also hypervigilant about risk in intimate relations, which is heightened during serious illness and complicates the imperative to sell one’s sickness. Indigenous healers navigate this psychosocial terrain creatively and subversively, aiming to ‘sell healing’ for all conditions. They advertise using multi-form arts, tell stories in diagnostic encounters, and incorporate artefacts and performance in healing processes. I will illustrate where ‘selling sickness’ intersects with ‘re-inventions of healing traditions’ in healing environments and signpost where specific art forms are activated in these spaces.

Chapter 5 focuses on the Regenerative Health and Nutrition (RHN) Programme, an intervention developed in 2006 by Ghana’s Ministry of Health in collaboration with the African Hebrew Development Agency (AHDA), an agency established by a community of African Americans who had settled in Dimona, Israel. The RHN Programme applied slogans, signposts, and a celebrity campaign. At its core was the re-imagining of local recipes through the lens of AHDA’s trademarked Edenic Divine Diet. While the programme promoted ‘food is medicine’ through arts-based methods, a competing representation of ‘food is poison’ prevailed across the RHN communities. This representation, developed from “slow observations” (Davies, 2019) of the “slow violence” (Nixon, 2011) of toxic agricultural practices and environmental degradation, undermined acceptance of the RHN message and intentions to cook and eat more healthily. The arts could not cut through these competing representations. I consider how these structural factors interfere with the hybridisation of Ghanaian food cultures and present conceptual challenges for public health nutrition interventions, whether or not they apply the arts.