Exploring the role of emotional intelligence on disorder eating psychopathology

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to explore the role of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and specific facets that may underpin the aetiology of disordered eating attitudes and behaviours, as a means to understand what aspects of these deficits to target within treatments. Methods Participants were recruited from the UK and Ireland. Among the sample of 355 participants, 84% were women and 16% were men. Regarding age, 59% were between 18 and 29, 30% were between 30 and 49, and 11% were 50 or older. Using a cross-sectional design, participants completed the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test to measure levels of trait EI and The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) as a measure of eating disorder risk and the presence of disordered eating attitudes. Results EAT-26 scores were negatively correlated with total EI scores and with the following EI subscales: appraisal of own emotions, regulation of emotions, utilisation of emotions, and optimism. Also, compared to those without an eating disorder history, participants who reported having had an eating disorder had significantly lower total EI scores and lower scores on four EI subscales: appraisal of others emotions, appraisal of own emotions, regulation of emotions, and optimism. Conclusions Considering these findings, EI (especially appraisal of own emotions, regulation of emotions, and optimism) may need to be addressed by interventions and treatments for eating disorders. Level of evidence Level V, descriptive cross-sectional study.

The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence, Obesity and Eating Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Mapping Review

“…From AEI literature, individuals with high AEI would be better equipped to deal with emotional difficulties. People with a lower score on AEI are more likely to engage in maladaptive emotional regulation strategies [ 20 ], such as disordered eating behaviour. Accordingly, females with an ED have been found to report more maladaptive emotion-focused strategies than their non-clinical counterparts, whilst the ability to regulate emotion has been negatively associated with disordered eating patterns [ 21 , 22 ].…”

From Deficits in Emotional Intelligence to Eating Disorder Symptoms: A Sequential Path Analysis Approach Through Self-Esteem and Anxiety

“…In the last decade, an emerging line of research has typically shown the significant relationship between EI and ED symptoms. For example, some prior research has found that individuals with some EI deficits are more prone to display disordered eating attitudes and behaviors (Costarelli et al, 2009;Pettit et al, 2009;Filaire et al, 2010;Zysberg and Rubanov, 2010;Hambrook et al, 2012;Zavala and López, 2012;Zysberg, 2013;Zysberg and Tell, 2013;Gardner et al, 2014;Koch and Pollatos, 2015;Cuesta et al, 2017;Peres et al, 2018;Foye et al, 2019). In addition, recent systematic reviews have reported that these abilities are relevant factors in both the development and maintenance of ED (Romero-Mesa et al, 2020;Giusti et al, 2021).…”

Comprendiendo la prevención de la obesidad desde un modelo de promoción de la salud, desde el apoyo familiar: Revisión de literatura

“…Las mujeres e hijos únicos son quienes presentan con mayor frecuencia esta conducta (Banna et al, 2018;Gow et al, 2016;Mason et al, 2018;Wu et al, 2018). Además, el bajo nivel de inteligencia emocional (reconocimiento, expresión o control de emociones) propicia la alimentación emocional (Foye et al, 2019;Koike et al, 2018), la cual se relaciona positivamente con el índice de masa corporal (Shriver et al, 2019).…”