title: Impulsivity, perceived self-regulatory success in dieting, and body mass in children and adolescents: A moderated mediation model.
abstract: Impulsivity has been suggested to contribute to overeating and obesity. However, findings are inconsistent and it appears that only specific facets of impulsivity are related to eating-related variables and to body mass. In the current study, relationships between self-reported impulsivity, perceived self-regulatory success in dieting, and objectively measured body mass were examined in N = 122 children and adolescents. Scores on attentional and motor impulsivity interactively predicted perceived self-regulatory success in dieting, but not body mass: Higher attentional impulsivity was associated with lower perceived self-regulatory success at high levels of motor impulsivity, but not at low levels of motor impulsivity. A moderated mediation model revealed an indirect effect of attentional and motor impulsivity on body mass, which was mediated by perceived self-regulatory success in dieting. Thus, results show that only specific facets of impulsivity are relevant in eating- and weight-regulation and interact with each other in the prediction of these variables. These facets of impulsivity, however, are not directly related to higher body mass, but indirectly via lower success in eating-related self-regulation in children and adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria. Electronic address: adrian.meule@sbg.ac.at.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meule
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Obesity Academy Austria, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.affiliation: Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Obesity Academy Austria, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weghuber
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria; Obesity Academy Austria, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blechert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D000068356:Self-Control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescents; Barratt Impulsiveness Scale; Body mass index; Children; Impulsivity; Obesity; Perceived self-regulatory success in dieting