Motivational dynamics underlying eating regulation in young and adult female dieters: relationships with healthy eating behaviours and disordered eating symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether type of goals and motives underlying females' eating regulation are associated differentially with daily eating behaviours, dependent upon weight and age category. DESIGN: 99 late adolescent female dieters (Mage = 18.94) and 98 adult female dieters (Mage = 45.06), 23.6% of which were overweight, completed a questionnaire and a 7-day diary assessment. Descriptive analysis and path analysis were performed to investigate the research questions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Healthy eating behaviours (HEHS), drive for thinness and binge eating symptoms (EDI). RESULTS: Appearance-focused and controlled eating regulation were positively related to disordered eating symptoms throughout the week. In contrast, autonomous and health-focused eating regulation were associated positively with healthy eating behaviours and were either related negatively or unrelated to disordered eating symptoms. Mean level differences in motivation and eating behaviours emerged according to age and weight status. However, the examined structural model was similar for late adolescent and adult dieters and only few differences emerged between normal-weight and overweight dieters. CONCLUSION: Dieters' type of motivation helps to explain when eating regulation relates to healthy and disordered eating symptoms.

Self-critical perfectionism and binge eating symptoms: a longitudinal test of the intervening role of psychological need frustration.

Although abundant research has shown that self-critical perfectionism relates to binge eating symptoms, fewer studies have addressed the role of intervening processes that might explain why this is the case. Grounded in self-determination theory, we hypothesized that self-critical perfectionism would relate to an increased risk for binge eating symptoms because it engenders frustration of the psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. This hypothesis was tested in a sample of 566 adolescents (72% female; mean age = 13.3 years) using a 3-wave longitudinal study with a 6-month interval. Structural equation modeling analyses showed that self-critical perfectionism related to increases in psychological need frustration which, in turn, predicted increases in binge eating symptoms. Structural relations were found to be equivalent for males and females. Theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Fostering self-endorsed motivation to change in patients with an eating disorder: the role of perceived autonomy support and psychological need satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE: Although several studies have established the beneficial effects of self-endorsed forms of motivation for lasting therapeutic change, the way patients with an eating disorder can be encouraged to volitionally pursue change has received less attention. On the basis of Self-Determination Theory, this longitudinal study addressed the role of an autonomy-supportive environment and psychological need satisfaction in fostering self-endorsed motivation for change and subsequent weight gain. METHOD: Female inpatients (n = 84) with mainly anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa filled out questionnaires at the onset of, during, and at the end of treatment regarding their perceived autonomy support from parents, staff members, and fellow patients, their psychological need satisfaction, and their reasons for undertaking change. Furthermore, the body mass index (BMI) of the patients at the onset and end of treatment was assessed by the staff. Path analyses were used to investigate the relations between these constructs. RESULTS: At the start of treatment, perceived parental autonomy support related positively to self-endorsed motivation through psychological need satisfaction. Perceived staff and fellow patients autonomy support related to changes in self-endorsed motivation over the course of treatment through fostering change in psychological need satisfaction. Finally, relative increases in self-endorsed motivation related to relative increases in BMI throughout treatment in a subgroup of patients with anorexia nervosa. DISCUSSION: These results point to the importance of an autonomy-supportive context for facilitating self-endorsed motivation.

A longitudinal study of gross motor coordination and weight status in children.

OBJECTIVE: This longitudinal study investigated the interrelationship between children's weight status and level of gross motor coordination over time, taking baseline physical activity (PA) into account as a possible mediator. METHODS: Baseline measurements were collected in 2517 children (5-13 years, 52.8% boys), including (1) body height and weight to calculate body mass index (BMI) z-scores, (2) gross motor coordination using the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK), (3) total PA estimated by a questionnaire. At follow-up, 754 participants (7-13 years, 50.8% boys) underwent anthropometric and KTK assessments again. Two hypothesized partial mediation models (i.e., KTK ↔ PA ↔ BMI z-score) were examined by multiple linear mixed models. RESULTS: A lower performance on the KTK at baseline significantly predicted an increase in BMI z-score (B = -0.003, P = 0.027). Conversely, a higher baseline BMI z-score also predicted a decrease in KTK performance (B = -1.792, P < 0.001). Since total PA at baseline was not significantly related to initial KTK performance (B = 1.628, P = 0.134) nor BMI z-score (B = 25.312, P = 0.130), its mediating effect was not further explored. CONCLUSIONS: Our results strongly suggest that children's weight status negatively influences future level of gross motor coordination, and vice versa. Prevention and intervention initiatives should consider this reciprocal causal relationship across developmental time.

The body perfect ideal and eating regulation goals: investigating the role of adolescents' identity styles.

Adolescents are exposed to images depicting the thin or muscular ideal almost on a daily basis. When the body perfect ideal is adopted, adolescents are at increased risk for developing unhealthy and disordered eating behaviors. The aim of the current 3-wave longitudinal study among adolescents (N = 418; 54% girls) was to investigate whether different styles of identity exploration (i.e., information-oriented, normative, and diffuse-avoidant) are associated differentially with changes in adoption of the body perfect ideal, which, in turn, would relate to changes in appearance-focused and health-focused eating regulation. Results indicated that the information-oriented style predicted decreases and the normative style predicted increases in adoption of the body perfect ideal. In turn, adoption of the body perfect ideal predicted significant increases in appearance-focused eating regulation but not in health-focused eating regulation. A diffuse-avoidant style was unrelated to changes in adoption of the body perfect, yet directly predicted decreases in health-focused eating regulation. Theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Motivational dynamics among eating-disordered patients with and without nonsuicidal self-injury: a self-determination theory approach.

OBJECTIVE: The presence of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in eating-disordered (ED) patients is considered a complicating factor in treatment with a possibly adverse influence on patients' motivation to change. Using Self-Determination Theory as a guiding framework, we compared ED patients with and without NSSI in terms of their well-being and their motives to undertake psychotherapeutic change. METHOD: Data were collected in a sample of 95 ED patients, including 37 patients displaying at least some type of NSSI. RESULTS: Patients with NSSI, relative to those without, felt more externally pressured to undertake change and reported lower overall well-being. Mean level differences in well-being between both patient groups were fully accounted for by patients' externally pressuring motives for pursuing change. DISCUSSION: In ED patients with NSSI, there is an important link between their more externally driven motivation to change and their lowered psychological well-being. It is discussed how clinicians can approach these patients to pursue change.

Motivational dynamics of eating regulation: a self-determination theory perspective.

Within Western society, many people have difficulties adequately regulating their eating behaviors and weight. Although the literature on eating regulation is vast, little attention has been given to motivational dynamics involved in eating regulation. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the present contribution aims to provide a motivational perspective on eating regulation. The role of satisfaction and thwarting of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness is introduced as a mechanism to (a) explain the etiology of body image concerns and disordered eating and (b) understand the optimal regulation of ongoing eating behavior for healthy weight maintenance. An overview of empirical studies on these two research lines is provided. In a final section, the potential relevance and value of SDT in relation to prevailing theoretical models in the domain of eating regulation is discussed. Although research on SDT in the domain of eating regulation is still in its early stages and more research is clearly needed, this review suggests that the SDT represents a promising framework to more thoroughly study and understand the motivational processes involved in eating regulation and associated problems.

Eating regulation and bulimic symptoms: the differential correlates of health-focused and appearance-focused eating regulation.

Based on Self-Determination Theory, this study aimed to gain further insight in the pathway from eating regulation to bulimic symptoms by (a) examining diet-specific need frustration as an intervening mechanism, (b) investigating the associations between different types of goals underlying eating regulation and diet-specific need frustration and bulimic symptoms, and (c) considering body dissatisfaction as an antecedent of eating regulation and eating regulation goals. In a sample of 244 female adolescents, SEM analyses showed that (a) the association between eating regulation and bulimic symptoms can be accounted for by need frustration, (b) appearance-focused and health-focused eating regulation are associated differentially with need frustration and bulimic symptoms, and (c) body dissatisfaction is related positively to eating regulation and appearance-focused eating regulation. These findings suggest that the goals underlying one's eating regulation and the concept of need frustration help to understand when and why eating regulation is associated with bulimic symptoms.