Investigating Sex Differences in Rates and Correlates of Food Addiction Status in Women and Men with PTSD

Abstract

Background: Food addiction (FA) is a dysregulated eating pattern characterized by difficulties in controlling the intake of certain foods. There is an overlap in physical and mental health correlates of FA and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to examine sex differences in the rates of positive FA status in individuals with threshold/subthreshold PTSD, and to examine sex differences in the physical and mental health correlates of FA. Methods: Post-9/11 veterans/service members seeking PTSD treatment were recruited. Participants were diagnosed with PTSD via the administration of a clinical interview. FA status was determined using Modified Yale Food Addiction Scale-2, binary sex and body mass index were assessed with demographics questions. Results: Nearly half (43%) of the sample were women. There were no sex differences in the rates of FA, with an overall FA prevalence of 18%. There were no sex differences in FA symptom count in the whole sample (M = 1.63) or those with FA status (M = 6.21). Individuals with FA reported higher frequency of disordered eating, higher severity of PTSD, and depression symptoms. Conclusions: FA should be assessed in tandem with PTSD symptoms, as its prevalence in that sample is higher than in the general population, and it appears to affect both sexes at similar rates.

Youth relationships during the pandemic Covid-19 matter. A mediating role of social resources on e-learning burnout, well-being, and overeating behaviors

“…Referring to our results, although e-learning burnout (an adverse direct effect of chronic online stress) illustrates similar educational difficulties and related maladaptive coping reaction -overeating, experienced by both, girls and boys, it may be more overwhelming to girls than boys because of presenting protective reactions in the forms of social isolation and withdrawal (lower interpersonal resources), and negative beliefs about self, lack of faith in control over the environment, loss of purpose in life goals and life meaning (poorer psychological well-being). Additionally, some researchers found no gender differences in a dysregulated eating pattern (food addiction), characterised by difficulties in controlling the intake of certain foods during the Covid-19 pandemic, which may be related to the level of post-traumatic stress disorder [64]. Our results support the above findings and suggest that girls are more vulnerable to e-school stress, which may indicate a higher level of overall stress caused by social isolation and physical distance.…”

Relationships between alexithymia and food addiction: The Finnish version of Yale Food Addiction Scale and preliminary test of its psychometric properties

“…According to previous studies, sex differences have been found in the prevalence of food addiction with mixed results ( Pedram et al, 2013 ; Stojek et al, 2021 ). In our study, more females met the “diagnosis” of food addiction as measured by the YFAS-F compared to males, but no sex differences were observed in terms of the food addiction symptom levels.…”

Examination of Individual Differences in Susceptibility to Food Addiction using Alcohol and Addiction Research Domain Criteria (AARDoC): Recent Findings and Directions for the Future

“…In primarily male veteran samples, current and lifetime diagnoses of PTSD were associated with FA symptoms [98,99]. In a clinical sample of men and women veterans, those with FA (18% of the overall sample) reported higher severity of PTSD and depression [100]. Overall, recent findings consistently indicate an overlap between experience of trauma and food addiction symptoms and suggest that men are as susceptible to FA in trauma-exposed samples as women (e.g., [98][99][100].…”