Barnhart Wesley R, Cui Tianxiang, Cui Shuqi, Ren Yaoxiang, Ji Feng, He Jinbo
Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, China.
Int J Eat Disord. 2023 Dec;56(12):2304-2314. doi: 10.1002/eat.24066. Epub 2023 Sep 29.
Relationships exist between food addiction symptoms, weight bias internalization, and psychological distress, yet previous research is primarily cross-sectional with adults from Western contexts. We examined the prospective relationships between food addiction symptoms, weight bias internalization, and psychological distress in Chinese adolescents.
Over three time points (Time 1, baseline; Time 2, 6-months; Time 3, 12-months) spanning 1 year, we examined cross-sectional and bi-directional relationships between food addiction symptoms, weight bias internalization, and psychological distress in Chinese adolescents (N = 589; aged 14-18 years at baseline). Pearson correlations and cross-lagged models examined the cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between food addiction symptoms, weight bias internalization, and psychological distress.
Cross-sectional correlations suggested positive relationships between food addiction symptoms, weight bias internalization, and psychological distress at each time point. Regarding bi-directional relationships, higher psychological distress was associated with both higher weight bias internalization and higher food addiction symptoms at the following time points. However, food addiction symptoms and weight bias internalization were not prospectively associated. Time 2 psychological distress did not significantly mediate the relationship between Time 1 weight bias internalization and Time 3 food addiction symptoms.
Findings suggest no direct longitudinal link between food addiction symptoms and weight bias internalization and vice versa. However, findings do suggest that psychological distress is temporally associated with higher food addiction symptoms and weight bias internalization in Chinese adolescents. Targeting psychological distress may prove useful in treatments of food addiction symptoms and weight bias internalization in Chinese adolescents.
Positive associations exist between food addiction symptoms, weight bias internalization, and psychological distress, but findings are largely cross-sectional and bound to adult populations from Western contexts. Using a longitudinal design in Chinese adolescents, findings suggested that baseline psychological distress was associated with higher food addiction symptoms and higher weight bias internalization at follow-up time points. Treatments targeting psychological distress may be helpful in reducing food addiction symptoms and weight bias internalization in Chinese adolescents.
食物成瘾症状、体重偏见内化与心理困扰之间存在关联，但以往研究主要是针对西方背景的成年人进行的横断面研究。我们研究了中国青少年食物成瘾症状、体重偏见内化与心理困扰之间的前瞻性关系。
在为期1年的三个时间点（时间1，基线；时间2，6个月；时间3，12个月），我们研究了中国青少年（N = 589；基线时年龄为14 - 18岁）食物成瘾症状、体重偏见内化与心理困扰之间的横断面和双向关系。Pearson相关性分析和交叉滞后模型检验了食物成瘾症状、体重偏见内化与心理困扰之间的横断面和纵向关系。
横断面相关性分析表明，在每个时间点，食物成瘾症状、体重偏见内化与心理困扰之间均呈正相关。关于双向关系，较高的心理困扰在随后的时间点与较高的体重偏见内化和较高的食物成瘾症状均相关。然而，食物成瘾症状与体重偏见内化之间没有前瞻性关联。时间2的心理困扰并未显著介导时间1的体重偏见内化与时间3的食物成瘾症状之间的关系。
研究结果表明，食物成瘾症状与体重偏见内化之间没有直接的纵向联系，反之亦然。然而，研究结果确实表明，在中国青少年中，心理困扰在时间上与较高的食物成瘾症状和体重偏见内化相关。针对心理困扰可能对治疗中国青少年的食物成瘾症状和体重偏见内化有用。
食物成瘾症状、体重偏见内化与心理困扰之间存在正相关，但研究结果大多是横断面的，且局限于西方背景的成年人。在中国青少年中采用纵向设计，研究结果表明基线心理困扰与随访时间点较高的食物成瘾症状和较高的体重偏见内化相关。针对心理困扰的治疗可能有助于减轻中国青少年的食物成瘾症状和体重偏见内化。
