Psychological Determinants of Emotional Eating in Adolescence

Abstract

Emotional eating is conceptualized as eating in response to negative affect. Data from a larger study of physical activity was employed to examine the associations among specific emotions/ moods and emotional eating in an adolescent sample. Six-hundred and sixty-six students of diverse backgrounds from 7 middle schools in Los Angeles County participated. Cross-sectional analysis revealed no gender differences in emotional eating, and showed that perceived stress and worries were associated with emotional eating in the total sample. Gender stratified analyses revealed significant associations of perceived stress, worries and tension/anxiety to emotional eating for girls, while only confused mood was related to emotional eating in boys. These findings bear potential implications for the treatment and prevention of pediatric obesity and eating disorders because they suggest that interventions would benefit from incorporation of stressreduction techniques and promotion of positive mood.

Características clínicas de adolescentes de sexo masculino con trastornos de la conducta alimentaria: Estudio de casos clínicos

“…Behar et al 33 proponen que el rol de género femenino, adquirido por el aprendizaje de las normas socioculturales ligadas a la cultura occidental, sería un contribuyente importante en esta diferencia. Otros autores han observado que los factores predisponentes y las manifestaciones serían similares en ambos sexos, previendo en el futuro un aumento sostenido de esta patología en hombres 10,20 .…”

“…Las causas que originan los TCA son multifactoriales e incluyen factores individuales, familiares y sociales, entre los que destacan el sobrepeso previo, estilo de crianza, antecedente familiar de TCA y el actual culto a los cuerpos delgados y perfectos [15][16][17][18][19][20] .…”

Attempt at application of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in the domains of body and structure function and activity and participation in the assessment of the rate of disability in patients with morbid obesity – pilot study

“…according to icd-10 F50.4, obesity is classified among eating disorders as a behavioral disorder, associated with physiological disturbances and physical factors [4]. data from literature points to a relationship between personality and mood disorders and the prevalence of morbid obesity [2,5]. in recent years, a psychological profile of morbidly obese patients has been described: emotional immaturity or immaturity of personality, impaired impulse control with a tendency to deny and avoid problems, as well as low self-esteem [6].…”

“…the pathological mechanism of obesity, particularly morbid obesity, is very complex, and an increasing number of studies reveal the significant, if not dominant, role of psychological factors associated with its occurrence [1][2][3]. according to icd-10 F50.4, obesity is classified among eating disorders as a behavioral disorder, associated with physiological disturbances and physical factors [4].…”

The relationship between dispositional mindfulness and eating : an analysis of self-reported and in vivo eating behaviors in undergraduate females.

“…among girls it appears to be significantly associated with specific emotional states, such as perceived stress, worry, and tension/anxiety; in contrast, among boys, emotional eating is associated with diffuse, or non-specific, emotional states (Nguyen-Rodriguez, Unger, & Spruijt-Metz, 2009). Similar gender differences in emotional eating have also been reported in adults, with male emotional eaters endorsing greater alexythymia than female emotional eaters (Larsen, van Strien, Eisinga, & Engels, 2006;Kenardy, Butler, Carter, & Moor, 2003).…”