Hedonic Appetite, Affect, and Loss of Control Eating: Macrotemporal and Microtemporal Associations in Adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Loss of control eating (LOC) is a dysregulated eating behavior relevant to eating disorders and weight-related health concerns. Hedonic appetite and affect (positive/negative) are dynamic microtemporal processes that influence LOC, but they have been studied predominantly in a static, macrotemporal manner. The present study examined associations of hedonic appetite and positive/negative affect, on macrotemporal and microtemporal levels, with LOC in adolescents. METHODS: Adolescent participants 13-18 years old (n = 43; Mage = 15.1, SD = 1.6; 69.8% female) completed smartphone surveys for 6 evenings, assessing LOC, hedonic appetite, and positive/negative affect. Scores on items were calculated to create microtemporal and macrotemporal assessments of these constructs. Multilevel models were run to examine associations between hedonic appetite and positive/negative affect with LOC. RESULTS: Both macrotemporal and microtemporal hedonic appetite were significantly positively related to LOC (ß = .73, p < .001; ß = .47, p < .001, respectively). Macrotemporal positive affect was significantly negatively associated with LOC (ß = -.09, p < .001). Macrotemporal negative affect was significantly positively associated with LOC (ß = .13, p < .001). No significant relationships emerged between microtemporal positive/negative affect and LOC. CONCLUSIONS: Hedonic appetite appears to be associated with LOC on both microtemporal and macrotemporal levels, suggesting that both momentary fluctuations and having higher hedonic appetite than others can be risk factors for LOC. However, affect appears to be associated with LOC only at the macrotemporal level. Findings may inform theoretical work and clinical and research assessment strategies.

Alcohol Use and Internalizing Symptoms Among High School students: Does Parental Permission Matter?

This study sought to examine percentages of youth who use alcohol with and/or without parental permission and associations with symptoms of depression and anxiety. At least one in four youth indicated use with parental permission, with approximately 12.7% of youth indicating that they use alcohol both with and without parental permission. Those who used alcohol without parental permission, regardless of use with parental permission, reported higher levels of both depression and anxiety symptoms than those who did not use alcohol. Those who reported only using alcohol with parental permission did not differ on levels of depression symptoms from any other group of youth and did not differ on levels of anxiety symptoms with youth did not use alcohol or who only used alcohol without parental permission. These findings suggest that alcohol use with parental permission may not reduce more risky alcohol use and can be associated with internalizing difficulties.

Temporal discounting modifies the effect of microtemporal hedonic hunger on food consumption: An ecological momentary assessment study.

INTRODUCTION: Steeper delay discounting, or preference for small rewards sooner versus larger rewards later, has been linked to disinhibited eating and obesity. The overconsumption of food may also be motivated by hedonic hunger, or the drive to consume foods for pleasure rather than energy need. The present study hypothesized that hedonic hunger would modify the relation between temporal discounting and palatable food consumption. METHODS: Seventeen adolescents between the ages of 13-18 (M = 15.12,SD = 1.80) completed a temporal discounting measure at baseline followed by daily ecological momentary assessments of food intake (e.g., self-reported servings of sweet, starchy, fatty, fast foods) and hedonic hunger for 20 days on a mobile phone. Multilevel models examined between-person (BP) and within-person (WP) hedonic hunger, monetary temporal discounting, and their interactions, on food consumption. RESULTS: The models for sweet, starchy, and fast food consumption had significant interactions between WP hedonic hunger and temporal discounting. For each of these interactions, those with average-or-lower temporal discounting rates were at less risk of consuming sweet, starchy, and fast foods when hedonic hunger was higher than typical while those with high rates of discounting were at higher risk of consuming these types of foods when hedonic hunger was elevated. CONCLUSION: Increases in daily hedonic hunger may confer risk for sweet, starchy, and fast food consumption. However, preference for larger rewards later may serve as a protective factor against consumption of these palatable foods. Future studies should further investigate this and other reward-driven processes that may influence food consumption.