Parent-Infant Attachment Insecurity and Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Mediation through Emotion Suppression and Alexithymia.

Roseriet Beijers,Hanna Konttinen,Tatjana Van Strien,Yvonne Van Den Berg,Marta Miragall

doi:10.3390/nu13051662

Abstract

Emotional eating (EE), the propensity to eat in response to emotions, is thought to have its origins in the early parent–infant relationship. This study tested the hypothesis that infant attachment insecurity results in EE in adolescence through the increased use of the emotion regulation strategy suppression of emotions and subsequent alexithymia. At the age of 15 months, parent–infant attachment security (n = 129) was observed with two abbreviated attachment measures: the shortened strange situation procedure (SSSP), and the shortened attachment Q-set (S-AQS). At the age of 12 years, children completed self-report questionnaires to assess the suppression of emotions, alexithymia, and EE. At the age of 16 years, EE was measured again. The mediation models indicated that lower parent–infant attachment security predicted increased use of suppression of emotions, which was related to increased alexithymia, and in turn more EE at the age of 12 years. These results were similar and significant for both attachment measures, and also (marginal) significant with EE at the age of 16 years as an outcome. Lastly, when parental caregiving quality was included, the models with the SSSP as predictor remained significant, but the models with the S-AQS became insignificant. These results indicated that to a certain extent, infant attachment security could predict adolescent EE above and beyond parental caregiving quality.

Highlights

Emotional Eating [Emotional eating (EE)], the propensity to eat in response to emotions, is considered an atypical response to stress
As we found in an earlier study on the same cohort that lower parental caregiving quality in infancy forecasted more EE in adolescence [40], all models will be re-run including parental caregiving quality to investigate whether infant attachment security can predict adolescent EE, above and beyond parental caregiving quality
We examined whether this hypothesis would hold for the two abbreviated versions of the attachment measures used in this study: The shortened strange situation procedure (SSSP) [24], and the shortened version of the attachment Q-set (S-AQS) [25,26]

Summary

Introduction

Emotional Eating [EE], the propensity to eat in response to emotions, is considered an atypical response to stress. Attachment is the emotional bond that forms between the infant and the primary caregiver(s), usually the parent(s) [11]. Attached infants are not able to use the parent as a “safe haven” or “secure base”, and experience difficulties coping with stress. In this light, longitudinal research has shown that infant attachment insecurity forecasts a range of later negative child developmental outcomes, including socio-emotional behavior [12]. Though EE is considered an atypical response to stress, and as such might represent difficulties coping with stress, it is yet unclear whether infant’s attachment insecurity forecasts later EE

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Discussion

Conclusion