Shared genetic influences between eating disorders and gastrointestinal disease in a large, population-based sample of adult women and men.

BACKGROUND: Some preliminary research suggests higher rates of gastrointestinal disease in individuals with eating disorders (EDs). However, research is limited, and it remains unknown what etiologic factors account for observed associations. This was the first study to examine how EDs and dimensional ED symptoms (e.g. body dissatisfaction, binge eating) are phenotypically and etiologically associated with gastrointestinal disease in a large, population-based twin sample. METHODS: Adult female (N = 2980) and male (N = 2903) twins from the Michigan State University Twin Registry reported whether they had a lifetime ED (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge-eating disorder) and completed a measure of dimensional ED symptoms. We coded the presence/absence of lifetime gastrointestinal disease (e.g. inflammatory bowel disease) based on responses to questions regarding chronic illnesses and medications. We first examined whether twins with gastrointestinal disease had higher rates of EDs and ED symptoms, then used correlated factors twin models to investigate genetic and environmental contributions to the overlap between disorders. RESULTS: Twins with gastrointestinal disease had significantly greater dimensional ED symptoms (ß = 0.21, p < 0.001) and odds of a lifetime ED (OR 2.90, p = 0.001), regardless of sex. Shared genetic factors fully accounted for the overlap between disorders, with no significant sex differences in etiologic associations. CONCLUSIONS: Comorbidity between EDs and gastrointestinal disease may be explained by overlap in genetic influences, potentially including inflammatory genes implicated in both types of disorders. Screening for gastrointestinal disease in people with EDs, and EDs in those with gastrointestinal disease, is warranted.

Changes in affect longitudinally mediate associations between emotion regulation strategy use and disordered eating.

BACKGROUND: Trait-level emotion regulation (ER) difficulties are associated with eating disorders (EDs) transdiagnostically. However, little research has examined whether within-person fluctuations in ER longitudinally predict ED behaviors in daily life or the mechanisms of ER effects. Investigating daily ER could help us better understand why people experience ED behaviors at a given time. We examined whether day-to-day changes in adaptive (e.g., cognitive reappraisal) and maladaptive (e.g., rumination) ER longitudinally predicted core ED behaviors (binge eating, purging, dieting) and whether changes in affect mediated effects. METHOD: Female participants (N = 688) ages 15-30 from the Michigan State University Twin Registry reported their adaptive and maladaptive ER use, negative affect (NA), positive affect (PA), binge eating, purging, and dieting on 49 consecutive days. Using structural equation modeling, we examined whether within-person fluctuations in ER predicted same- and next-day ED behaviors and whether changes in affect mediated longitudinal ER effects. RESULTS: Greater maladaptive ER predicted increased likelihood of same-day binge eating and next-day binge eating and purging. The association between maladaptive ER and next-day binge eating and purging was mediated by increased next-day NA. In contrast, dieting was more closely related to changes in PA. Adaptive ER did not predict reduced likelihood of any ED behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Maladaptive ER may longitudinally increase risk for binge eating and purging by amplifying NA. Interventions focused on decreasing maladaptive ER and subsequent NA might help disrupt binge eating-purging cycles. Conversely, results add to evidence that PA fluctuations may play a unique role in maintaining restrictive behaviors. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Little is known about how daily changes in emotion regulation may impact disordered eating. We found that maladaptive emotion regulation (e.g., rumination) was associated with a higher likelihood of binge eating and purging on the next day because it predicted increased next-day negative affect. In contrast, dieting was more closely tied to fluctuations in positive affect. Targeting daily emotion regulation and affective processes may help disrupt cycles of disordered eating.

Self-reported food liking and wanting: A factor analytic study of ratings across 49 consecutive days.

Reward responses to food are thought to play an important role in highly palatable food overconsumption. In animal models, food reward responses can be decoupled into unique "liking" (in the moment enjoyment) and "wanting" (motivation/craving) components. However, research on liking and wanting has been hampered by uncertainty regarding whether liking and wanting can be reliably separated in humans. We used factor analysis to test whether ratings of liking and wanting could be empirically separated in women assessed across 49 consecutive days. Female participants (N = 688; ages 15-30) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry reported liking and wanting of foods consumed that day, and wanting of foods not consumed that day, separately for sweets (e.g., cookies), fast food (e.g., French fries), carbohydrates (e.g., bread), and whole foods (fruit, plain chicken) each evening for 49 consecutive days. We examined both average levels and daily levels of liking/wanting across the 49-day period that captured individual differences in liking/wanting over time. Across both types of analyses, liking and wanting for foods that were eaten formed a single factor rather than separate, dissociable factors, while wanting of foods not eaten formed an independent factor. At the daily level, a liking/wanting factor emerged for each individual food category (e.g., liking/wanting sweets), whereas in average analyses, a single factor emerged that collapsed across all food types (i.e., liking/wanting of all foods). Results suggest individuals have difficulty distinguishing between liking and wanting of foods they have eaten on that day but may be able to more reliably separate wanting of foods they have not consumed.

Between- and within-person effects of stress on emotional eating in women: a longitudinal study over 49 days.

BACKGROUND: Stress is associated with binge eating and emotional eating (EE) cross-sectionally. However, few studies have examined stress longitudinally, limiting understanding of how within-person fluctuations in stress influence EE over time and whether stress is a risk factor or consequence of EE. Additionally, little is known regarding how the biological stress response relates to EE. METHODS: We used an intensive, longitudinal design to examine between-person and within-person effects of major life stress, daily stress, and cortisol on EE in a population-based sample of women (N = 477; ages 15-30; M = 21.8; s.d. = 3.0) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Participants reported past year major life stress, then provided daily ratings of EE and stress for 49 consecutive days. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) was collected as a longitudinal biological stress measure. RESULTS: Women reported greater EE when they experienced greater mean stress across days (between-person effects) or greater stress relative to their own average on a given day (within-person effects). Daily stress was more strongly associated with EE than major life stress. However, the impact of daily stress on EE was amplified in women with greater past year major life stress. Finally, participants with lower HCC had increased EE. CONCLUSIONS: Findings confirm longitudinal associations between stress and EE in women, and highlight the importance of within-person shifts in stress in EE risk. Results also highlight HCC as a novel biological stress measure that is significantly associated with EE and may overcome limitations of prior physiological stress response indicators.

Unheard voices: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on disordered eating in people with marginalized identities: Commentary on Devoe et al. (2022), Linardon et al. (2022) and Schneider et al. (2022).

Reviews by Devoe et al. (2022), Linardon et al. (2022), and Schneider et al. (2022) illustrate the profound impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on people with eating disorders (EDs) or disordered eating (DE) and their families. However, there is a dearth of research on how the pandemic has affected individuals with marginalized identities, who have been historically underrepresented in ED/DE research. The few studies conducted to date suggest that people with marginalized identities, including people of color, LGBTQ + people, women, and people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage, may have had even greater increases in EDs/DE than people without marginalized identities. In this Commentary, I discuss who is missing from research on EDs/DE during the COVID-19 pandemic, strategies for breaking down barriers to participation in research for diverse groups, and the implications of existing research findings for people with marginalized identities. Improved measurement of salient aspects of participants' identities and increased recruitment and retention of participants from diverse backgrounds is necessary to more fully understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all people affected by EDs and DE. Concurrently, increased access to affordable and culturally sensitive care is urgently required to meet the extensive treatment needs already documented.

Associations between household income and disordered eating differ across sex and racial identity in a population-based sample of adults.

BACKGROUND: Most research on socioeconomic status (SES) and eating disorders (EDs) has focused on young White women. Consequently, little is known regarding how SES may relate to EDs/disordered eating in older adults, men, or people with different racial identities. We examined whether associations between SES and EDs/disordered eating differed across age, sex, and racial identity in a large, population-based sample spanning early-to-later adulthood. METHODS: Analyses included 2797 women and 2781 men ages 18-65 (Mage = 37.41, SD = 7.38) from the population-based Michigan State University Twin Registry. We first examined associations between SES and dimensional ED symptoms, binge eating (BE), and self-reported ED diagnoses across age and sex in the full sample. We then examined the impact of racial identity on associations by conducting within- and between-group analyses among Black and White participants. RESULTS: In the full sample, lower SES was associated with significantly greater odds of BE and lifetime EDs in men, but not women, across adulthood. The association between lower SES and greater BE risk was stronger for Black men than for White men, though significant in both groups. Conversely, Black women showed a positive association between SES and dimensional ED symptoms that significantly differed from effects for Black men and White women. CONCLUSIONS: Associations between socioeconomic disadvantage and EDs/disordered eating may be particularly robust for men in adulthood, especially men with a marginalized racial identity. Oppositely, Black women may encounter social pressures and minority stress in higher SES environments that could contribute to somewhat heightened ED risk. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Little is known regarding how associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and eating disorders (EDs) may differ across age/sex or racial identity. We found lower SES was associated with greater odds of a lifetime ED or binge eating in men only, with a particularly strong association between lower SES and binge eating for Black men. Results highlight the importance of examining how SES-ED associations may differ across other aspects of identity.

A cotwin control study of associations between financial hardship and binge eating phenotypes during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 was associated with significant financial hardship and increased binge eating (BE). However, it is largely unknown whether financial stressors contributed to BE during the pandemic. We used a longitudinal, cotwin control design that controls for genetic/environmental confounds by comparing twins in the same family to examine whether financial hardship during COVID-19 was associated with BE. METHODS: Female twins (N = 158; Mage  = 22.13) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry rated financial stressors (e.g., inability to afford necessities) daily for 49 consecutive days during COVID-19. We first examined whether financial hardship was associated with BE phenotypes across the full sample. We then examined whether cotwins who differed on financial hardship also differed in BE. RESULTS: Participants who experienced greater mean financial hardship across the study had significantly greater dimensional BE symptoms, and participants who experienced greater financial hardship on a given day reported significantly more emotional eating that day. These results were replicated in cotwin control analyses. Twins who experienced more financial hardship than their cotwin across the study reported greater dimensional BE symptoms than their cotwin, and participants who experienced more financial hardship than their cotwin on a given day reported greater emotional eating that day. Results were identical when restricting analyses to monozygotic twins, suggesting associations were not due to genetic confounds. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that BE-related symptoms may be elevated in women who experienced financial hardship during COVID-19 independent of potential genetic/environmental confounds. However, additional research in larger samples is needed. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Little is known regarding how financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic may have contributed to increased binge eating (BE). We found preliminary evidence that financial hardship during COVID-19 may be associated with greater rates of BE-related symptoms even when comparing twins from the same family. While additional research is needed, results suggest that people who experienced financial hardship during COVID-19 may be at increased risk for BE.

Identifying the 'active ingredients' of socioeconomic disadvantage for youth outcomes in middle childhood.

BACKGROUND: Youth experiencing socioeconomic deprivation may be exposed to disadvantage in multiple contexts (e.g., neighborhood, family, and school). To date, however, we know little about the underlying structure of socioeconomic disadvantage, including whether the 'active ingredients' driving its robust effects are specific to one context (e.g., neighborhood) or whether the various contexts increment one another as predictors of youth outcomes. METHODS: The present study addressed this gap by examining the underlying structure of socioeconomic disadvantage across neighborhoods, families, and schools, as well as whether the various forms of disadvantage jointly predicted youth psychopathology and cognitive performance. Participants were 1,030 school-aged twin pairs from a subsample of the Michigan State University Twin Registry enriched for neighborhood disadvantage. RESULTS: Two correlated factors underlay the indicators of disadvantage. Proximal disadvantage comprised familial indicators, whereas contextual disadvantage represented deprivation in the broader school and neighborhood contexts. Results from exhaustive modeling analyses indicated that proximal and contextual disadvantage incremented one another as predictors of childhood externalizing problems, disordered eating, and reading difficulties, but not internalizing symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Disadvantage within the family and disadvantage in the broader context, respectively, appear to represent distinct constructs with additive influence, carrying unique implications for multiple behavioral outcomes during middle childhood.

A daily diary study of emotion regulation as a moderator of negative affect-binge eating associations.

BACKGROUND: While negative affect (NA) typically increases risk for binge eating, the ultimate impact of NA may depend on a person's ability to regulate their emotions. In this daily, longitudinal study, we examined whether emotion regulation (ER) modified the strength of NA-dysregulated eating associations. METHODS: Women (N = 311) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry first reported dimensional binge eating symptoms and broad ER difficulties (e.g., limited emotional awareness, difficulty controlling emotional impulses). Participants then rated use of adaptive (cognitive reappraisal, social sharing, situation modification, and acceptance) and maladaptive (rumination, expressive suppression, and self-criticism) ER strategies, emotional eating (EE), objective binge eating (OBE), and NA once daily for 49 consecutive days. RESULTS: There were several main effects of ER on binge-eating pathology in both between-person (i.e., comparing women who differed on average) and within-person (i.e., examining fluctuations in variables day-to-day) analyses. Between-person, greater broad ER difficulties, greater maladaptive strategy use, and lower adaptive strategy use were all associated with greater binge-eating pathology. Within-person, greater maladaptive strategy use was associated with greater odds of OBE on that day and on the following day. However, neither broad ER difficulties nor use of specific strategies moderated associations between NA and dysregulated eating in between- or within-person analyses. CONCLUSIONS: While ER is independently associated with risk for dysregulated eating, it may not fully mitigate the impact of NA. Additional strategies (e.g., decreasing environmental stressors and increasing social support) may be needed to minimize NA and its impact on dysregulated eating. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Negative affect (NA; e.g., sadness, guilt) increases dysregulated eating risk. Because NA is sometimes unavoidable, we examined whether emotion regulation (ER; i.e., how a person responds to their emotions) might impact whether NA leads to dysregulated eating. Although more effective ER was associated with less dysregulated eating overall, ER did not impact the association between NA and dysregulated eating. Other approaches may therefore be needed to mitigate NA-dysregulated eating associations.

Exploring the possibility of parents' broad internalizing phenotype acting through passive gene-environment correlations on daughters' disordered eating.

Twin studies demonstrate significant environmental influences and a lack of genetic effects on disordered eating before puberty in girls. However, genetic factors could act indirectly through passive gene-environment correlations (rGE; correlations between parents' genes and an environment shaped by those genes) that inflate environmental (but not genetic) estimates. The only study to explore passive rGE did not find significant effects, but the full range of parental phenotypes (e.g., internalizing symptoms) that could impact daughters' disordered eating was not examined. We addressed this gap by exploring whether parents' internalizing symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depressive symptoms) contribute to daughters' eating pathology through passive rGE. Participants were female twin pairs (aged 8-14 years; M = 10.44) in pre-early puberty and their biological parents (n = 279 families) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Nuclear twin family models explored passive rGE for parents' internalizing traits/symptoms and twins' overall eating disorder symptoms. No evidence for passive rGE was found. Instead, environmental factors that create similarities between co-twins (but not with their parents) and unique environmental factors were important. In pre-early puberty, genetic factors do not influence daughters' disordered eating, even indirectly through passive rGE. Future research should explore sibling-specific and unique environmental factors during this critical developmental period.

Ovarian Hormones and Reward Processes in Palatable Food Intake and Binge Eating.

Ovarian hormones are associated with risk for binge eating in women. Recent animal and human studies suggest that food-related reward processing may be one set of neurobiological factors that contribute to these relationships, but additional studies are needed to confirm and extend findings.

Gonadal Hormone Influences on Sex Differences in Binge Eating Across Development.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Binge eating is a transdiagnostic symptom that disproportionately affects females. Sexually dimorphic gonadal hormones (e.g., estradiol, testosterone) substantially impact eating behavior and may contribute to sex differences in binge eating. We examine recent evidence for the role of gonadal hormones in binge eating risk across development. RECENT FINDINGS: Both organizational (long-lasting impact on the central nervous system (CNS)) and activational (transient influences on the CNS) hormone effects may contribute to sex differences in binge eating. Gonadal hormones also impact within-sex variability in binge eating, with higher estradiol levels in females and higher testosterone levels in males protective across development. Emerging evidence suggests that the impact of gonadal hormones may be greatest for people with other risk factors, including genetic, temperamental (e.g., high negative affect), and psychosocial (e.g., exposure to weight-based teasing) risk. Gonadal hormones contribute to sex differences and within-sex variability in binge eating across development.

A virtual issue highlighting eating disorders in people of black/African and Indigenous heritage.

While eating disorders affect people from all racial/ethnic backgrounds, research has traditionally focused on eating disorders in white populations. In this virtual issue, we present a collection of 14 articles previously published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders highlighting eating disorders in people of black/African and Indigenous heritage. Featured articles examine the prevalence and presentation of disordered eating in black and Indigenous populations; access to care and treatment experiences for black and Indigenous people; and environmental stressors, such as acculturative stress and discrimination, that may contribute to disordered eating in these populations. Future directions for inclusive research with people of black/African and Indigenous heritage are discussed, including reporting participant demographics, examining differences in risk factors and treatment outcomes across race/ethnicity, and partnering with black and Indigenous communities to produce culturally sensitive research attuned to the needs and priorities of these populations.

Low emotion differentiation: An affective correlate of binge eating?

BACKGROUND: Low emotion differentiation (the tendency to experience vague affective states rather than discrete emotions) is associated with psychopathology marked by emotion regulation deficits and impulsive/maladaptive behavior. However, research examining associations between emotion differentiation and dysregulated eating is nascent and has yet to incorporate measures of clinically significant binge eating. Different measures of emotion differentiation have also been used, impeding cross-study comparisons. We therefore examined associations between several emotion differentiation measures and binge eating-related phenotypes across a spectrum of severity. METHODS: Women (N = 482) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) daily for 45 consecutive days. Three measures of negative/positive emotion differentiation (NED/PED) were created using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), average interitem correlation, and average daily variance between negative/positive emotion ratings on the PANAS. Associations between NED/PED measures and emotional eating (EE) and a history of binge eating episodes (BEs) were then examined, controlling for affect intensity and BMI. RESULTS: Lower PED was associated with greater odds of BEs across the ICC and average interitem correlation measures, and more EE on the daily variance measure. Findings involving NED were less consistent; lower NED was associated with greater EE and greater odds of BEs using the daily variance measure only. CONCLUSION: Low PED is associated with clinically significant binge eating, and some aspects of NED may also be relevant for binge eating-related phenotypes. Further research examining the constructs captured by different emotion differentiation measures and their relevance to binge eating is needed.

Increased rates of eating disorders and their symptoms in women with major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with eating disorders (EDs) have increased rates of major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders. Yet, few studies have investigated rates of EDs and their symptoms in individuals presenting with MDD/anxiety disorders. Identifying potential disordered eating in people with MDD/anxiety disorders is important because even subclinical disordered eating is associated with reduced quality of life, and undiagnosed eating pathology may hinder treatment progress for both MDD/anxiety disorders and comorbid EDs. METHOD: We compared rates of EDs (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and other specified feeding and eating disorders) and their symptoms in 130 women with, and 405 women without, lifetime MDD or an anxiety disorder (generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, specific phobia, panic disorder, agoraphobia, or post-traumatic stress disorder) recruited from the population-based Michigan State University Twin Registry. Lifetime ED and MDD/anxiety diagnoses, and lifetime clinically significant disordered eating behaviors (e.g., binge eating, excessive exercise) were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). RESULTS: Among participants with lifetime MDD or any anxiety disorder, 13% met criteria for a lifetime ED and 39% reported engaging in at least one lifetime clinically significant disordered eating behavior (e.g., binge eating) on the SCID. In contrast, only 3% of participants without a history of MDD/an anxiety disorder met criteria for a lifetime ED, and only 11% reported lifetime clinically significant disordered eating behavior. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that women with MDD and anxiety disorders have elevated rates of EDs, and it is therefore imperative to screen for disordered eating in these populations.

The development of youth antisocial behavior across time and context: A systematic review and integration of person-centered and variable-centered research.

BACKGROUND: Trajectories of youth antisocial behavior (ASB) are characterized by continuity and change. Although numerous longitudinal studies have examined ASB, findings from person-centered and variable-centered research have not yet been integrated. The present paper integrates findings across statistical methods for a more comprehensive understanding of the development of ASB. Neighborhood disadvantage is considered as a core moderator. METHODS: The study protocol was registered in the PROSPERO database of systematic reviews (registration number CRD42021255820). The PsycINFO and PubMed databases were examined (September 2022) to identify longitudinal studies of youth aggression and/or rule-breaking. Results from person-centered and variable-centered studies were integrated via narrative synthesis, and a systematic quality assessment was conducted. RESULTS: Of 8227 studies identified, 136 met inclusion criteria. Our review indicated that rule-breaking trajectories were largely distinguished by differences in rate of change (i.e., slope), whereas aggression trajectories differed more by baseline level (i.e., intercept), particularly in childhood. For adolescents in disadvantaged neighborhoods, however, aggression trajectories differed by both intercept and slope. CONCLUSIONS: The respective importance of the intercept and slope differed across dimensions of ASB, developmental stage, and neighborhood residence. Neighborhood disadvantage was associated with trajectories of aggression, consistent with developmental theories emphasizing the role of person-environment interactions.

Estrogen moderation of genetic influences on eating disorder symptoms during gonadarche in girls: Specific effects on binge eating.

The heritability of eating disorder (ED) symptoms increases dramatically across gonadarche in girls. Past studies suggest these developmental differences could be due to pubertal activation of estrogen, but findings have been limited to only one ED symptom (i.e., binge eating). The current study examined whether estrogen contributes to gonadarcheal differences in genetic influences on overall levels of ED symptoms as well as key cognitive symptoms (i.e., weight/shape concerns) that are present across all EDs and are early risk factors for eating pathology. Given that binge eating frequently co-occurs with all of these symptoms, analyses also examined whether estrogen effects exist for overall levels of ED symptoms and body weight/shape concerns after accounting for the known effects of estrogen on genetic risk for binge eating. Participants included 964 female twins (ages 8-16) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Overall levels of ED symptoms were assessed with the Minnesota Eating Behavior Survey (MEBS) total score. Weight/shape concerns were assessed with a latent factor modeled using subscales from the MEBS and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. Estradiol levels were assessed with saliva samples. Twin moderation models were used to examine whether genetic influences on overall levels of ED symptoms and weight/shape concerns differed significantly across estradiol levels. Although initial models suggested modest differences in genetic influences on overall levels of ED symptoms across estradiol levels, these effects were eliminated when binge eating was accounted for in the models. In addition, weight/shape concerns did not show significant moderation of genetic influences by estradiol in models with or without binge eating. Taken together, results are significant in suggesting that individual differences in estradiol levels during gonadarche have a unique and specific impact on genetic risk for binge eating, while other etiologic factors must contribute to increased heritability of cognitive ED symptoms during this key developmental period in girls.

Disadvantage and disordered eating in boys: Examining phenotypic and genotype × environment associations across development.

Socioeconomic disadvantage may be a significant risk factor for disordered eating, particularly for individuals with underlying genetic risk. However, little to nothing is known about the impact of disadvantage on disordered eating in boys during the critical developmental risk period. Crucially, risk models developed for girls may not necessarily apply to boys, as boys show different developmental patterns of disordered eating risk (i.e., earlier activation of genetic influences during adrenarche, an early stage of puberty). This is the first study to examine phenotypic and Genotype × Environment (G × E) effects of disadvantage in boys. Analyses examined 3,484 male twins ages 8-17 (Mage = 12.27, SD = 2.96) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Disordered eating (e.g., body dissatisfaction, binge eating) was measured using the parent-report Michigan Twins Project Eating Disorder Survey. Neighborhood disadvantage was measured using a census-tract level Area Deprivation Index, and family socioeconomic status was determined from parental income and education. Adrenarche status was determined using multiple indicators, including age and Pubertal Development Scale scores. G × E models suggested that genetic influences on disordered eating were activated earlier for boys experiencing familial or neighborhood disadvantage, with substantial genetic influences in early adrenarche, when genetic influences were low in more advantaged boys. Phenotypically, both neighborhood and familial disadvantage were associated with greater disordered eating for boys in late adrenarche, which could indicate a lasting impact of earlier activation of genetic influences on later risk. Results highlight disadvantage as a novel risk factor for disordered eating in boys, particularly those with genetic vulnerabilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on disordered eating symptoms in women: A 49-day, daily study before and during the outbreak in the United States.

Longitudinal data are needed to examine effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on disordered eating. We capitalized on an ongoing, longitudinal study collecting daily data to examine changes in disordered eating symptoms in women across 49 days that spanned the time before and during the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. Women from the Michigan State University Twin Registry (N = 402) completed daily questionnaires assessing a range of symptoms (e.g., binge eating, weight/shape concerns, liking/wanting of palatable food (PF) and whole foods, hunger). Dates of the first US COVID-19 case, first case in each participant's state, and onset of the initial stay-at-home orders (SHOs) were used to categorize women into those who completed all daily assessments prior to, during, or after these dates. We used mixed linear models and specification-curve analysis to examine between-person (i.e., differences between women assessed before vs during/after COVID-19) and within-person (i.e., changes in symptoms from days before to days after the dates) effects of the pandemic. Results showed significantly higher levels of binge-related pathology (e.g., odds of binge eating, liking/wanting of PF) in women who completed assessments during/after COVID-19 events, and significantly increased liking/wanting of PF in the days following the pandemic onset. By contrast, minimal between- or within-person differences were observed for other variables, including weight/shape concerns, compensatory behaviors, hunger, or liking/wanting whole foods. Overall, results suggest a specific effect of the pandemic on binge-related phenotypes in women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Affect Dysregulation in Context: Implications and Future Directions of Experience Sampling Research on Affect Regulation Models of Loss of Control Eating.

Loss of control eating is a core, transdiagnostic eating disorder symptom associated with psychological distress, functional impairment, and reduced quality of life. However, the factors that contribute to persistent loss of control eating despite negative consequences are not fully understood. Understanding the mechanisms that maintain loss of control eating is crucial to advance treatments that interrupt these processes. Affect regulation models of loss of control eating hypothesize that negative emotions trigger loss of control eating, and that loss of control eating is negatively reinforced because it temporarily decreases negative affect. Several variations on this basic affect regulation model have been proposed, including theories suggesting that negative affect decreases during loss of control eating rather than afterwards (escape theory), and that loss of control eating replaces one negative emotion with another that is less aversive (trade-off theory). Experience sampling designs that measure negative affect and eating behavior multiple times per day are optimally suited to examining the nuanced predictions of these affect regulation models in people's everyday lives. This paper critically reviews experience sampling studies examining associations between negative affect and loss of control eating, and discusses the implications for different affect regulation models of loss of control eating. The review concludes by proposing an expanded affect-focused model of loss of control eating that incorporates trait-level individual differences and momentary biological and environmental variables to guide future research. Clinical implications and recommendations are discussed.