Convergence in Maternal and Child Reports of Impulsivity, Depressive Symptoms, and Trait Anxiety, and Their Predictive Utility for Binge-eating Behaviors

Objective: Early detection of binge-eating (BE) behaviors and their risk factors is associated with better outcomes. A multi-informant approach for assessing BE psychopathology and risk factors has been emphasized to increase the probability and accuracy of early detection. Impulsivity (particularly negative and positive urgency), trait anxiety, and depressive symptoms are associated with BE behaviors. The present study examined maternal-child convergence of reports of child BE, impulsivity, trait anxiety, and depressive symptoms and examined the predictive power of maternal reports for child-reported BE behaviors.

Method: Participants included 927 female twins (aged 8-16 years) and 468 mothers from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Risk factors and BE were assessed with self-report questionnaires.

Results: Intraclass correlation coefficients showed fair-to-moderate inter-rater agreement (ICCs = .31-.41) between maternal and child reports of risk factors and low-to-fair agreement for BE (ICCs = .05-.29). Controlling for the effects of age, pubertal status, body mass index, and family relatedness, multilevel models showed that maternal reports of child impulsivity, anxiety, and depressive symptoms did not add predictive power above and beyond child reports.

Discussion: Results call into question the utility and practical implications of using maternal reports to supplement child reports for BE and its risk factors.