Dataset Information

Parental deployment and distress, and adolescent disordered eating in prevention-seeking military dependents.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:Parental military deployment can lead to stress in the family system due to concerns about the deployed service-member's safety and increased responsibilities for those not deployed. Parent-related stress can impact adolescent disordered eating. Given the important role that stress plays in disordered eating and obesity, it is crucial to understand the impacts of unique stressors to which vulnerable populations are exposed. METHOD:We studied 126 adolescent (14.3?±?1.6?years; 59.5% girls; 44.4% non-Hispanic White; BMI-z, 1.91?±?.39) military dependents prior to entering an obesity and binge-eating disorder prevention trial. The Eating Disorder Examination was used to assess adolescent disordered eating. Parents self-reported their own distress and family deployment history that occurred during the adolescent's lifetime. RESULTS:Parental distress interacted with frequency of parental deployments such that for those with high parental distress, more frequent deployment was associated with greater adolescent shape and weight concerns (? = .21, p = .012) and global eating pathology (? = .18, p = .024). DISCUSSION:In this hypothesis-generating study, the combination of number of deployments and parental distress may be associated with disordered eating among adolescent military dependents seeking prevention of binge-eating disorder and adult obesity. If these preliminary findings are supported longitudinally, interventions to reduce parental stress related to deployment may be warranted to reduce disordered eating in adolescent dependents.

SUBMITTER: Higgins Neyland MK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7028444 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Parental deployment and distress, and adolescent disordered eating in prevention-seeking military dependents.

Higgins Neyland M K MK Shank Lisa M LM Burke Natasha L NL Schvey Natasha A NA Pine Abigail A Quattlebaum Mary M Leu William W Gillmore Dakota D Morettini Alexandria A Wilfley Denise E DE Stephens Mark M Sbrocco Tracy T Yanovski Jack A JA Jorgensen Sarah S Klein David A DA Olsen Cara H CH Quinlan Jeffrey J Tanofsky-Kraff Marian M

The International journal of eating disorders 20191008 2

<h4>Objective</h4>Parental military deployment can lead to stress in the family system due to concerns about the deployed service-member's safety and increased responsibilities for those not deployed. Parent-related stress can impact adolescent disordered eating. Given the important role that stress plays in disordered eating and obesity, it is crucial to understand the impacts of unique stressors to which vulnerable populations are exposed.<h4>Method</h4>We studied 126 adolescent (14.3 ± 1.6 ye ...[more]

PMID: 31593352

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Project description:PurposeEvidence suggests that difficulties identifying and describing one's feelings, core components of alexithymia, are associated with attitudinal and behavioral symptoms of disordered eating; depressive symptoms also may underlie these associations. Specifically, research indicates that alexithymia is positively related to depressive symptoms, which in turn may promote both disordered-eating attitudes and certain disinhibited-eating behaviors (e.g., emotional eating). Findings also suggest that military-dependent youth with high weight may exhibit elevated depressive symptoms and disordered eating. As such, understanding associations among alexithymia, depressive symptoms, and disordered eating is particularly relevant for this vulnerable population.MethodsWe examined 149 adolescent military dependents (14.4 ± 1.6y; 55.0% female; 20.0% non-Hispanic Black; BMIz: 1.9 ± 0.4) at high risk for binge-eating disorder and obesity in adulthood. Participants completed questionnaires assessing two components of alexithymia (difficulty identifying feelings [DIF] and difficulty describing feelings [DDF]), depressive symptoms, emotional eating, and trait anxiety; disordered-eating attitudes were assessed via semi-structured interview.ResultsA series of regression-based models examined indirect relationships of DIF and DDF with disordered-eating attitudes and emotional eating through depressive symptoms. Bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals revealed a significant indirect path from each of the alexithymia components to disordered-eating attitudes via depressive symptoms; indirect paths to emotional eating were non-significant.ConclusionResults support the salience of depressive symptoms in the relationship between alexithymia and disordered-eating attitudes. Future research should utilize prospective designs and explore direct and indirect associations of alexithymia with other disordered-eating behaviors.Level of evidenceLevel III, evidence obtained from a well-designed cohort study.

Project description:ObjectiveAdolescent military dependents may be at higher risk for psychosocial stressors and disordered eating compared with civilian youths, but the mechanisms underlying these risks are unclear. Interpersonal theory proposes that difficult relationships lead to negative affect, thereby promoting emotional eating, which has been linked to and predictive of disordered eating. The interpersonal model may have particular relevance for understanding disordered eating among adolescent military dependents, given the unique stressors related to their parents' careers. This study aimed to examine the premise of the interpersonal model (that negative emotions mediate the association between multiple aspects of social functioning and emotional eating) among a cohort of adolescent military dependents.MethodsMilitary dependents (N=136; 56% female, mean±SD age=14±2 years, body mass index adjusted for age and sex [BMIz]=2.0±0.4) at risk for adult obesity and binge eating disorder, as indicated by reported loss-of-control eating and/or anxiety symptoms, were assessed prior to participation in a study of excess weight-gain prevention. Bootstrapped mediation analyses were conducted to examine depressive symptoms as a potential mediator of the relationship between social functioning and emotional eating. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, race-ethnicity, BMIz, and presence of reported loss-of-control eating and anxiety.ResultsDepressive symptoms were a significant mediator of the relationship between multiple domains of social functioning, including loneliness, social adjustment related to family and friends, attachment to father and peers, and emotional eating (p<0.05).ConclusionsThe interpersonal model may contribute to our understanding of excess weight gain and binge eating disorder among adolescent military dependents. Prospective data are needed to determine the utility of interpersonal theory in predicting treatment response and outcomes among this population.

Dataset Information

Parental deployment and distress, and adolescent disordered eating in prevention-seeking military dependents.

Publications

Parental deployment and distress, and adolescent disordered eating in prevention-seeking military dependents.

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