Dietary restraint and anxiety in adolescent girls

Dieting among adolescent girls has become commonplace. Research indicates that dietary restraint may have a functional effect for adolescents similar to that which operates with adults (i.e. high restrainers counter-regulate following disinhibition). The present study investigated the interaction effects of dietary restraint and state anxiety in 13-year-old and 16-year-old girls. The distribution of restraint scores indicated that both age groups contained girls from every level of restraint. Analysis of the total consumption data indicated that only the 16-year-old group counter-regulated in response to the disinhibiting high anxiety condition. Analyses of the type of food consumed (forbidden food/permitted food) revealed counter-regulation for both age groups for some of the forbidden foods. In the 16-year-old group, the effects were more pervasive. No significant effects were found in the permitted food category. The implications of this eating behaviour are discussed.