Dietary restraint in young adolescent girls: a functional analysis.

An investigation of dietary restraint during adolescence was conducted in two phases. First, two school classes of 12- and 14-year-old girls completed a restraint questionnaire. Second, the functional nature of the restraint scores was assessed in 24 girls from each age group using a procedure previously shown to lead to overeating in restrained adults. A wide distribution of restraint scores was found, with restrained individuals present in both age groups. Restraint was found to be functional, predicting higher food consumption in a taste test after imagining eating highly palatable foods. Hunger ratings were elevated by the imagination procedure, although the extent of this increase was similar for both restrained and unrestrained girls. The girls' body weight index was significantly correlated with degree of restraint. The existence and breakdown of restraint at this young age is regarded with concern, particularly in view of the links between dieting and eating disorders.