Teenagers
who don't manage their anger, either by suppressing feelings,
or the other extreme of losing one's temper, are at higher
risk for weight gain than those who do, researchers said
today at the American Heart Association's annual Conference
on Cardiovascular Disease.
"Problems
expressing anger can translate into eating disorders
and increased weight, which leads to a high risk of
cardiovascular disease at a young age," said William
H. Mueller, lead author of the study and professor of
behavioral science at the University of Texas.
In
the mid-1990s, investigators at the university conducted
a pilot study in which they found a strong association
between body mass index and internalized anger in teenagers.
The association was stronger in girls than in boys.
Project
HeartBeat! is a study of children aged 8 to 18 that
observes the development of cardiac structure and function
in adolescence. As part of the study, Mueller and colleagues
followed the eldest children - a group of 160 (14 to
17 year-olds) - for three years.
Researchers
measured body mass index, obtained by dividing height
squared by weight, at baseline and during the study
period. The teenagers also completed the State-Trait
Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) to gauge anger levels,
which measured "anger-in," "anger-out,"
"anger control" and "anger expression."
"Anger
in" is not expressing feelings out of fear of what
other people will think, Mueller said. "Anger out"
is yelling, slamming doors and other aggressive behaviors.
The "anger control "score measured the level
of maturity and healthy expression of feelings. The
"anger expression" score is calculated by
adding the "anger in" score with the "anger
out" score and dividing that number by the "anger
control" score.
Researchers
found that anger habits in a child tended to remain
stable over time. However, average anger control scores
increased over time and were higher in children with
lower BMIs. Anger expression scores decreased over time
but were higher in children with increasing BMI's. None
of the STAXI variables differed by gender or ethnicity.
"Unhealthy
ways of expressing anger are associated with overweight.
'Anger control' is a healthy way of expressing anger.
You don't take things personally.
"Overweight
kids have poor health behaviors, including anger expression,
which may lead to increased weight, especially in girls,"
he said.
"These
kids develop unhealthy ways of dealing with their emotions.
They tend to isolate themselves, watch TV or read rather
than connecting with their friends."
Children
with high "anger control" scores acknowledge
their feelings of anger, but are able to express those
feelings appropriately. These children tend to have
normal weights.
"It
is not just 'anger in' or 'anger out,'" Mueller
said. "We're suggesting that it is important to
look at the emotional health of kids. It's beyond just
diet and exercise. We need to look at the broader sociological
picture. If they feel good about resolving interpersonal
stress and learn to decrease conflict, these skills
will spill over into their general lifestyle."
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