A Comparison of Negative Affect and Disinhibited Eating Between Children with and without Parents with Type 2 Diabetes.

Background Children whose parents have type 2 diabetes (T2D) are at high-risk for developing T2D. In youth, negative affect has been shown to predict insulin resistance (IR), and disinhibited-eating behaviors have been linked to IR. It is unknown if youth with a parent with T2D (P-T2D) report greater psychological and behavioral symptoms than those without a P-T2D. Objective To compare youth with and without a P-T2D on symptoms of negative affect and disinhibited-eating. Methods Nine-hundred-thirty-two youth (13.3±2.6 y; BMIz 1.06±1.06; 67.8% female; 53.6% People of Color; 10.7% with a P-T2D) completed questionnaires of anxiety and depressive symptoms, eating in the absence of hunger, and emotional-eating. Loss-of-control (LOC)-eating was assessed by interview. In two separate sub-samples, energy intake was explored using laboratory test meals simulating eating in the absence of hunger and LOC-eating, respectively. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity. In follow-up analyses, fat mass (kg) and height, and IR were included as covariates, respectively. Results Adjusting for all covariates including adiposity and IR, compared to youth without a P-T2D, youth with a P-T2D reported more anxiety and depression symptoms, greater eating in the absence of hunger, and emotional-eating (ps .16). Conclusions Self-reported negative affect and disinhibited-eating may be higher among youth with P-T2D compared to those without P-T2D. Prospective studies should examine whether, among those with a P-T2D, what role such symptoms may play for their subsequent risk for T2D. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.