Adversity exposure and obesogenic food consumption in young children: The transgenerational role of emotion dysregulation

Abstract

Background: Childhood adversity is linked with unhealthy eating behaviours and obesity, but the mechanisms underlying this association are unclear, specifically the transgenerational behavioural precursors that develop in early childhood. Objective: To determine whether adversity predicts change in obesogenic food consumption through child emotion dysregulation, and whether caregiver emotion dysregulation modifies this association. Methods: Participants included 190 low-income caregiver-child dyads (mean child age = 4.31 years [SD = 0.85]). Cumulative lifetime adversity exposure was assessed via study-created measure. The Difficulties with Emotion Regulation Scale and Emotion Regulation Checklist assessed caregiver and child emotion dysregulation, respectively. Children's obesogenic food consumption was assessed at two time points 6 months apart using a caregiver-report measure: the Children's Eating Habits Questionnaire. Moderated mediation models were tested using autoregressive structural equation modelling. Results: Cumulative lifetime adversity was associated with child emotion dysregulation only when caregiver emotion dysregulation was high. Child emotion dysregulation in turn was associated with greater obesogenic food consumption 6 months later. Conclusions: Among young children with caregivers high in emotion dysregulation, cumulative lifetime adversity was linked to an increase in obesogenic food consumption through child emotion dysregulation.

Food insecurity is associated with higher food responsiveness in low‐income children: The moderating role of parent stress and family functioning

“…47 In support of this notion, a recent study found that poor emotion regulation explained the link between childhood adversity and obesogenic food consumption in low-income children. 48 Studies that assess FI-related stress in children and emotional overeating are warranted.…”

“…Qualitative work with low‐income women has shed light on how the use of food as a coping mechanism in response to food deprivation in childhood can persist into adulthood, 4 and a link between emotion dys‐regulation and emotional eating has been suggested 47 . In support of this notion, a recent study found that poor emotion regulation explained the link between childhood adversity and obesogenic food consumption in low‐income children 48 . Studies that assess FI‐related stress in children and emotional overeating are warranted.…”

Family Nutrition: Methodological Bases For The Practice Of Nutrionists

“…From the affections involved in feeding and being fed to the formation of eating habits that endure throughout one's life. Accepting or denying them are part of how, why, and what we deal with our family and their stories that constitute us (Erriu et al, 2020;Huffhines et al, 2020;Leung et al, 2019;Wagner, 2005).…”

Self- vs. External-Regulation Behavior ScaleTM in different psychological contexts: A validation study

“…In the field of clinical research, the self-regulation variable has appeared to be important for the explanation of other psychological constructs, such as personality ( Inzlicht et al, 2021 ), resilience ( de la Fuente et al, 2017 ), personal strengths ( Lerner et al, 2021 ), coping strategies ( Amate-Romera and de la Fuente, 2021 ), emotionality ( Lajoie et al, 2021 ) and perfectionism ( Thakre and Sebastian, 2021 ). Recently, studies have considered the dysfunctional level of self-regulation ( dys-regulation ) as a transdiagnostic variable ( p factor ) underlying numerous psychiatric psychopathologies ( Duncan et al, 1996 ; Choi and Abbott, 2020 ; Huffhines et al, 2020 ; Smith et al, 2020 ; Levin-Aspenson et al, 2021 ; Romer et al, 2021 ) varying levels of which are relevant to criminal pathologies ( Billen et al, 2021 ).…”