The Psychosomatic Concept of Obesity

Kaplan, Harold; Kaplan, Helen Singer

doi:10.1097/00005053-195704000-00004

Cited by 456 publications

(307 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

254

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Future research should examine both psychological and physiological stress responses to naturally occurring stressors to test these putative mechanisms. One theory that is commonly considered in scholarly discussion of comfort eating behavior is the Psychosomatic Theory of Obesity, which posits that food intake functions as a coping response in the face of negative affect, which can foster overconsumption and consequently lead to obesity (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1957). Consistent with this theory, studies in rodents have found that chronic comfort eating yields visceral fat accumulation (Dallman et al, 2005), which is associated with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease in humans (Bj€ orntorp, 1990).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Comfort eating, psychological stress, and depressive symptoms in young adult women

Finch

Tomiyama

2015

Appetite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a b s t r a c tLittle is known about whether comfort eating actually functions to reduce psychological stress. In addition, the effectiveness of comfort eating may be particularly relevant in the context of depression, but no study has tested whether comfort eating processes might depend on severity of depressive symptomology. This study tested 1) whether greater comfort eating statistically buffers the relationship between adverse life events and perceived psychological stress at age 18e19, and 2) whether potential stress-buffering effects may differ by level of depressive symptoms. These relationships were examined in the NHLBI Growth and Health Study, comprising 2379 young adult women. Participants self-reported experiences with adverse life events, their perceived psychological stress, and whether they tended to eat more while experiencing certain negative emotions. As hypothesized, the relationship between adverse life events and perceived stress depended on comfort eating status (p ¼ .033). The effect of adverse events on perceived stress was attenuated among comfort eaters compared to non-comfort eaters (p ¼ .004), but this buffering effect was not shown in participants with an elevated level of depressive symptoms. In conclusion, among young adult women without high depressive symptoms, comfort eaters may experience reduced perceived stress compared to those who do not engage in this behavior. Intervention researchers should also consider the possible benefits of comfort eating.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Comfort eating, psychological stress, and depressive symptoms in young adult women

Finch

Tomiyama

2015

Appetite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The concept of emotional eating originally derives from the psychosomatic theory of obesity, which proposes that obese persons exhibit more emotionally induced eating than the nonobese, and that coping with dysphoric mood plays a role in the etiology of obesity. 43 Although most cognitive ± behavioral, weight-reduction treatment programs take into consideration the issue of emotional eating, the concept has been assigned a marginal role in contemporary research, and its role in obesity is still a matter of dispute. In a comprehensive review of the obesity literature, Ganley 44 concludes that episodic overeating in response to negative affect or stressful life events appears to be highly prevalent in obese subjects seeking treatment, particularly in the massively obese.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychometric properties and factor structure of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) in obese men and women. Results from the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) study

et al. 2000

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the construct validity of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) in obese men and women. SUBJECTS: A total of 4377 middle-aged, obese subjects in the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) study. METHODS: The total sample was randomly split into two data subsets and psychometric testing was performed separately in each sample. Multitraitamulti-item analysis was conducted to test scaling assumptions and factor analysis was used to test the factor structure. Measures of mental well-being (MACL, HAD) were used for testing criterion-based validity. RESULTS: The Cognitive Restraint factor was consistently reproduced and scaling analysis demonstrated strong itemscale discriminant validity, while the item-scale convergent validity was unsatisfactory. The internal structure of the Disinhibition scale was weak. Most Disinhibition and Hunger items grouped in one global factor labeled Uncontrolled Eating. A third cluster containing items on Emotional Eating was also identi®ed. The obtained three-factor structure was cross-validated and replicated across subgroups by gender, age and BMI. CONCLUSION: The original TFEQ factor structure was not replicated. A short, revised 18-item instrument was constructed, representing the derived factors of Cognitive Restraint, Uncontrolled Eating and Emotional Eating. The most ef®cient items were used to boost both the convergent and discriminant validity of the scales.

show abstract

“…The ®rst one, the so-called`psychosomatic theory' emphasizes the role of`emotional eating' in the aetiology of obesity. 17 The second one, the`external theory' refers to eating in response to food-related stimuli, regardless of the internal state of hunger or satiety. 18 The third one, the theory of`restrained eating' re¯ects the degree of conscious food restriction, carrying the imminent risk of disinhibition of controlled food intake.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary intakes, eating style and overweight in the Stanislas Family Study

et al. 2000

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

OBJECTIVES: To describe the eating patterns of members of French families and to assess the relationships between dietary intakes, eating style and overweight. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of nutritional and behavioural characteristics. SUBJECTS: 1320 members of 387 families (age 11 ± 65 y) attending the Centre for Preventive Medicine for a routine medical check-up. MEASUREMENTS: Individual body weight and height were measured. Food intake was assessed using a three day dietary record. Eating style was measured using the French validated version of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. RESULTS: In each of the four groups (men, women, boys and girls), dietary restraint was positively correlated with overweight (P 0.001) and associated with lower energy intakes (P 0.05 ± P 0.001). A negative association between energy intake and overweight was found in girls only (P 0.001). In all cases, overweight and dietary restraint exaggerated any existing macronutrient imbalance in energy intake (ie higher protein and fat contributions, lower carbohydrate contribution). Emotional eating was positively correlated to body mass index in women only (P 0.01). External eating was mainly a characteristic of children (P 0.001). CONCLUSION: As in overweight subjects, clear relationships were found in this sample of general population between dietary intakes and eating style. The population will be followed up for 10 y. In the long term, these results should have implications in the prevention of obesity.

show abstract

The Psychosomatic Concept of Obesity

Cited by 456 publications

References 0 publications

Comfort eating, psychological stress, and depressive symptoms in young adult women

Comfort eating, psychological stress, and depressive symptoms in young adult women

Psychometric properties and factor structure of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) in obese men and women. Results from the Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) study

Dietary intakes, eating style and overweight in the Stanislas Family Study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About