Anger Responses in Adolescents: Relationship with Punishment and Reward Sensitivity.

A substantial proportion of youth with anxiety disorders shows comorbid behavioral (anger) problems. Such comorbid profile is associated with low treatment effectiveness and negative (longterm) outcomes. This study was therefore designed to examine trait factors that may promote anger responding in adolescents. By presenting participants (N = 158, mean age = 15.7, 56% female) with a series of common anger-eliciting situations, we tested whether high reward sensitivity would be associated with anger via perceived non-reward, and high punishment sensitivity via perceived threat. In line with the hypotheses, an indirect effect of reward sensitivity on anger was found via perceived non-reward, and an indirect effect of punishment sensitivity on anger via perceived threat. The latter association also had an indirect effect via perceived non-reward. High punishment and reward sensitivity may thus set adolescents at risk for developing (comorbid) anger problems via heightened threat and non-reward perceptions.

Hunger increases negative and decreases positive emotions in women with a healthy weight.

The term 'hangry' is colloquially used to describe being "bad tempered or irritable as a result of hunger," but remarkably few studies have examined the effect of hunger on emotions. Yet, women attempting to restrict their food intake may be at risk of becoming entangled in a vicious cycle of hunger and negative emotions. That is, hunger may lead to negative emotions, which can lead to overeating and overeating can, in turn, provoke subsequent restriction leading to more hunger. Therefore the aim of this study was to examine the effect of hunger on positive and negative emotions in women with a healthy BMI, and the role of subclinical eating disorder symptoms in this effect. We randomly assigned women to a hunger condition (fasting for 14 h, n = 53) or satiated condition (eat breakfast before the study, n = 55), and they completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire and the Profile of Mood States in the lab. Hungry women reported overall higher negative emotions (higher tension, anger, fatigue, and confusion) and lower positive emotions (lower vigour and marginally lower esteem-related affect) than satiated women. Moreover, for satiated but not for hungry women, higher eating disorder symptoms were associated with lower esteem-related affect. These findings show that food restriction leads to negative emotions, and practitioners and individuals should be aware of these implications of food restriction on mental health. Second, clinicians and individuals should be wary of relatively low esteem-related affect when satiated in individuals with eating disorder symptoms, as it could serve as a maintaining factor in eating pathology.