Albert, Imke (2025) The Association Between Delay Discounting and Weight Gain in First-Year Students: The Moderating Role of Restrained Eating. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Weight gain is a prevalent concern nowadays due to adverse health consequences. Delay discounting (DD) has been associated with weight gain in past research, however, there have been inconsistencies in findings pertaining to the direction of the relationship. Literature on the restraint theory suggests that restrained eating (RE) might also play a role in weight gain. The current study examined whether high DD is associated with BMI increase and whether RE moderates this relationship. A longitudinal study was conducted, using self-report measures including the Monetary Choice Questionnaire to measure DD, and the restraint scale to measure RE. The BMI of first-year female psychology students was measured four times over the course of 6 months. Results showed that DD was not significantly related to BMI increase. RE significantly moderated the relationship between DD and BMI increase, meaning that people with high DD and high RE showed greater weight gain. High DD reflects the tendency to prefer immediate over delayed rewards and was associated with BMI increase only at high levels of RE. Future research should replicate the study to confirm the robustness and generalizability of the moderation effect and consider a longer research design. Additional factors such as alcohol consumption due to its relationship to DD, weight gain, and first-year students should also be considered. Keywords: delay discounting, weight gain, BMI increase, restrained eating, restraint theory, moderation
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
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| Supervisor name: | Jonker, N.C. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 29 Jul 2025 09:06 |
| Last Modified: | 29 Jul 2025 09:06 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5768 |
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