title: Eating, feeding, and feeling: emotional responsiveness mediates longitudinal associations between maternal binge eating, feeding practices, and child weight.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although it is known that maternal disordered eating is related to restrictive feeding practices, there is little research exploring mechanisms for this association or its effects on other feeding practices. The purpose of this study was to assess whether maternal emotion responses mediate the association between maternal binge eating (BE) and child feeding practices, in order to identify potential risk factors for feeding practices that influence child weight.
  
  
  METHODS
  This longitudinal observational study included (n = 260) mothers and children from the STRONG Kids Panel Survey. At Wave 1, children were an average of 37 months old (SD = 6.9), and at Wave 2 children were an average of 57 months old (SD = 8.3). Mothers self-reported their frequency of binge eating behavior (Wave 1), responses to children's negative emotions (Wave 1), feeding practices (Wave 1 and Wave 2), and child height and weight were measured at both time points. Using bias-corrected bootstrapping procedures, we tested the hypothesis that longitudinal associations between maternal BE and nonresponsive parent feeding practices would be mediated by parents' unsupportive responses to children's negative emotion. We also tested a serial mediation model positing that maternal BE predicts child body mass index (BMI) percentile change 18-24 months later, indirectly through unsupportive responses to negative emotion and nonresponsive feeding practices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Maternal BE predicted use of more nonresponsive feeding practices (e.g. Emotion Regulation, Restriction for Health, Pressure to Eat, and Food as Reward), indirectly through more Distress responses to children's negative emotions. In the serial mediation model, maternal BE was associated with greater use of Distress responses, which indirectly predicted higher child BMI percentile through Food as Reward feeding practices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that maternal eating and emotion responsiveness are important for understanding the interpersonal context of feeding behaviors, and child weight outcomes. Distress responses may serve as a risk factor for use of unhealthful feeding practices among mothers with BE and these responses may increase children's risk for weight gain.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  This study used an observational prospective design. Therefore, it has not been registered as a clinical intervention trial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 904 South Nevada St., MC-081, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA. saltzmn2@illinois.edu.|Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program, University of Illinois, Champaign, USA. saltzmn2@illinois.edu.
authors.forename: Jaclyn A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Saltzman
authors.affiliation: Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program, University of Illinois, Champaign, USA.|School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1010 West Nevada St., Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pineros-Leano
authors.affiliation: Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program, University of Illinois, Champaign, USA.|School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1010 West Nevada St., Urbana, IL, USA.|College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1010 West Nevada St., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Janet M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Liechty
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 904 South Nevada St., MC-081, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.|Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program, University of Illinois, Champaign, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Bost
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 904 South Nevada St., MC-081, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.|Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program, University of Illinois, Champaign, USA.|Family Resiliency Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 904 South Nevada St., Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Barbara H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Fiese
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002032:Bulimia / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015430:Weight Gain
keywords: Binge eating; Childhood obesity; Emotion regulation; Emotional responsiveness; Feeding Practices; Feeding practices; Food-related parenting practices; Intergenerational transmission; Parenting; Responsive parenting