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Depression symptoms and night eating in young adulthood

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Abstract

Purpose

We estimated cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between depression symptoms and night eating in young adults.

Methods

Data were drawn from a longitudinal investigation of students age 12–13 years at inception in 1999–2000, in Montreal, Canada. Depression symptoms were measured with the Depressive Symptoms Scale (DSS) 20 times from age 12 to 17, and with the Major Depression Inventory (MDI) post-high school at ages 20 and 24. Night eating was measured at age 24. The association between depression symptoms and night eating was estimated in multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for sex, age and mother university-educated.

Results

9% of 829 participants (n = 77) reported night eating. In cross-sectional analysis, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) estimate for MDI scores (range 0–50) was 1.04 (1.01, 1.07). In longitudinal analyses, the OR estimates were 1.75 (1.20, 2.55) for DSS scores (range 1–4) and 1.03 (1.002, 1.06) for the MDI.

Conclusions

Depression symptoms are associated with night eating in young adults cross-sectionally and possibly longitudinally. Treatment of depression symptoms may be important in preventing night eating, a core symptom of the Night Eating Syndrome.

Level of evidence

Level III, cohort analytic study.

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Data availability

Data are available on request. To gain access, applicants must complete a data request form available on the NDIT website (www.nditstudy.ca) and return it to the principal investigator (jennifer.oloughlin@umontreal.ca). The procedure to obtain access to NDIT data is described in O’Loughlin, J., Dugas, E.N., Brunet, J., DiFranza, J., Engert, J.C., Gervais, A., Gray-Donald, K., Karp, I., Low, N.C., Sabiston, C., Sylvestre, M.P., Tyndale, R.F., Auger, N., Belanger, M., Barnett, T., Chaiton, M., Chenoweth, M.J., Constantin, E., Contreras, G., Kakinami, L., Labbe, A., Maximova, K., McMillan, E., O’Loughlin, E.K., Pabayo, R., Roy-Gagnon, M.H., Tremblay, M., Wellman, R.J., Hulst, A., Paradis, G., 2015. Cohort Profile: The Nicotine Dependence in Teens (NDIT) Study. Int J Epidemiol. 44(5), 1537–1546. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyu135. The relevant paragraph is described below. This process has been approved by the ethics committee at the CRCHUM. Access to NDIT data is open to any university-appointed or affiliated investigator upon successful completion of the application process. Masters, doctoral and postdoctoral students may apply through their primary supervisor. For more information, visit www.nditstudy.ca or contact the principal investigator.

Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

CI:

Confidence interval

DSS:

Depressive Symptoms Scale

MDI:

Major Depression Inventory

NDIT Study:

Nicotine Dependence in Teens Study

NE:

Night eating

NES:

Night Eating Syndrome

NEQ:

Night Eating Questionnaire

OR:

Odds ratio

ORadj :

Adjusted odds ratio

SD:

Standard deviation

SERT:

Serotonin transporter

SSRI:

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor

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Acknowledgements

Jennifer O’Loughlin holds a Canada Research Chair in the Early Determinants of Adult Chronic Disease. The authors thank the NDIT Study participants.

Funding

This study was supported by the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute grants (grant numbers 010271, 017435, 704031). Views expressed in this document do not necessarily reflect those of the funding agency. The funders were not involved in the design or conduct of the study, data collection, management, analysis, or interpretation, or preparation, review or approval of the manuscript.

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Guentcheva, I., Dugas, E.N., Hanusaik, N. et al. Depression symptoms and night eating in young adulthood. Eat Weight Disord 25, 1593–1600 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-019-00796-4

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