Exploring the Bidirectional Relationship between Food Addiction and Dietary Restraint

Abstract

The construct of food addiction, used to describe addictive-like pathological eating, has garnered considerable research attention, empirical evidence, and scholarly debate in recent years. A major point of controversy is that current models and measures of food addiction do not consider the role of dietary restraint. A small body of cross-sectional research suggests that food addiction and dietary restraint may be more closely related at some stages of development (e.g., adolescence) than others (e.g., adulthood). However, little is currently known about potential relations, directional pathways, or clinical implications of these constructs. This dissertation thereby aims to examine direct associations between food addiction and dietary restraint in adolescence and adulthood. Next, this dissertation will assess longitudinal pathways between food addiction and dietary restraint during adolescence, when the strength of the association is likely to be the strongest. Finally, this dissertation seeks to examine the construct validity of these constructs by comparing associations of maternal food addiction and maternal dietary restraint with infant eating and weight-related outcomes. Improved understanding of the nature of the relationship between food addiction and dietary restraint that results from this dissertation has important implications for public health and clinical treatment recommendations.