Thinness and eating expectancies predict subsequent binge-eating and purging behavior among adolescent girls.

Abstract

One's expectancies for reinforcement from eating or from thinness are thought to represent summaries of one's eating-related learning history and to thus influence the development of binge-eating and purging behavior. In a 3-year longitudinal study, the authors tested this hypothesis and the hypothesis that binge eating also influences subsequent expectancy development. The authors used trajectory analysis to identify groups of middle school girls who followed different trajectories of binge eating, purging, eating expectancies, and thinness expectancies. Initial eating and thinness reinforcement expectancies identified girls whose binge eating and purging increased during middle school, and expectancies differentiated girls who began these problem behaviors from girls who did not. Initial binge-eating scores differentiated among eating expectancy developmental trajectories. The onset of most behaviors can be understood in terms of learned expectancies for reinforcement from these behaviors. The same model can be applied to the risk for eating disorders.

Expectancies related to thinness, dietary restriction, eating, and alcohol consumption in women with bulimia nervosa

“…First, compared with the Control group, the BN-spectrum groups endorsed greater expectancies related to thinness, dietary restriction, eating managing negative affect, and eating alleviating boredom. Such a finding is consistent with previous studies 10,11,14,21,30 associating dieting-, thinness-and eating-related expectancies with current as well as subsequent eating-related symptoms and is therefore generally consistent with expectancy theory. A second finding was that BN-spectrum women with a comorbid AUD endorsed more alcohol-related expectancies than BN-spectrum women with but no lifetime AUD and controls.…”

Etiology of Food Addiction

“…Bu gözlemi destekleyen bir klinik araştırmada, yemenin olumsuz duygulanımı azalttığı ve olumlu duygulanım geliştirdiğini düşünen ergenlerin 3 yıllık izlem süresince bu şekilde bir düşüncesi olmayanlara göre daha fazla tıkınırcasına yeme davranışı geliştirdiği bulunmuştur. [69] Benzer bir başka araştırmada, bulimia nevroza tanısı alan 96 kadında 1 yıllık izlem döneminde tıkınırcasına yeme davranışının dirençli bir şekilde sürmesinde kişilerin yemek yemenin pozitif duygulanımı arttırdığı şeklinde beklentisinin olmasının önemli bir rol oynadı-ğı belirlenmiştir. [70] Öte yandan fazla kilolu olan ve tedavi arayışında bulunan gençlerde depresyon ve anksiyete gibi olumsuz duyguların varlığında yeme davranışı üzerinde kontrolü kaybetme ve emosyon düzenleyici olarak yemek yemenin ortaya çıktığı ve bu kişilerde depresyon oranlarının da daha yüksek olduğu saptanmıştır.…”

Negative reinforcement eating expectancies, emotion dysregulation, and symptoms of bulimia nervosa

“…12 Expectancies have demonstrated much theoretical and clinical utility in explaining health behaviors, most notably alcohol use. 13 Evidence suggests that eating-related expectancies may serve an analogous role in the development of disturbed eating.…”

“…In one study, adolescent girls who endorsed these particular eating expectancies were more likely to start binge eating in the future. 12 Expectancies are useful in understanding eating behavior because they assess actual learning and thus represent a proximal, presumably causal, risk factor in the eating disorder trajectory. 12 But what is yet unknown is the degree of unique explanatory power in these expectancies.…”