Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body Image
Emotional eating is associated with an increased risk of binge eating, eating in the absence of hunger and obesity risk. While previous studies with children and adolescents suggest that emotion regulation may be a key predictor of this dysregulated eating behavior, little is known about what other...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/1/79 |
| _version_ | 1797543236839931904 |
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| author | Lenka H. Shriver Jessica M. Dollar Susan D. Calkins Susan P. Keane Lilly Shanahan Laurie Wideman |
| author_facet | Lenka H. Shriver Jessica M. Dollar Susan D. Calkins Susan P. Keane Lilly Shanahan Laurie Wideman |
| author_sort | Lenka H. Shriver |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Emotional eating is associated with an increased risk of binge eating, eating in the absence of hunger and obesity risk. While previous studies with children and adolescents suggest that emotion regulation may be a key predictor of this dysregulated eating behavior, little is known about what other factors may be influencing the link between emotional regulation and emotional eating in adolescence. This multi-method longitudinal study (<i>n</i> = 138) utilized linear regression models to examine associations between childhood emotion regulation, adolescent weight status and negative body image, and emotional eating at age 17. Emotion regulation predicted adolescent emotional eating and this link was moderated by weight status (<i>β</i> = 1.19, <i>p</i> < 0.01) and negative body image (<i>β</i> = −0.34, <i>p</i> < 0.01). Higher engagement in emotional eating was predicted by lower emotional regulation scores among normal-weight teens (<i>β</i> = −0.46, <i>p</i> < 0.001) but not among overweight/obese teens (<i>β</i> = 0.32, <i>p</i> > 0.10). Higher scores on emotion regulation were significantly associated with lower emotional eating at high (<i>β</i> = −1.59, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and low (<i>β</i> = −1.00, <i>p</i> < 0.01) levels of negative body image. Engagement in emotional eating was predicted by higher negative body image among overweight/obese teens only (<i>β</i> = 0.70, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Our findings show that while better childhood emotion regulation skills are associated with lower emotional eating, weight status and negative body image influence this link and should be considered as important foci in future interventions that aim to reduce emotional eating in adolescence. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:42:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-75824a79321f49bda2323db14bfbc8d7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:42:41Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-75824a79321f49bda2323db14bfbc8d72023-11-21T02:55:45ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432020-12-011317910.3390/nu13010079Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body ImageLenka H. Shriver0Jessica M. Dollar1Susan D. Calkins2Susan P. Keane3Lilly Shanahan4Laurie Wideman5Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), Greensboro, NC 27402, USADepartment of Human Development and Family Studies, UNCG, Greensboro, NC 27402, USAOffice of Research and Engagement, UNCG, Greensboro, NC 27402, USADepartment of Psychology, UNCG, Greensboro, NC 27402, USAJacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Kinesiology, UNCG, Greensboro, NC 27402, USAEmotional eating is associated with an increased risk of binge eating, eating in the absence of hunger and obesity risk. While previous studies with children and adolescents suggest that emotion regulation may be a key predictor of this dysregulated eating behavior, little is known about what other factors may be influencing the link between emotional regulation and emotional eating in adolescence. This multi-method longitudinal study (<i>n</i> = 138) utilized linear regression models to examine associations between childhood emotion regulation, adolescent weight status and negative body image, and emotional eating at age 17. Emotion regulation predicted adolescent emotional eating and this link was moderated by weight status (<i>β</i> = 1.19, <i>p</i> < 0.01) and negative body image (<i>β</i> = −0.34, <i>p</i> < 0.01). Higher engagement in emotional eating was predicted by lower emotional regulation scores among normal-weight teens (<i>β</i> = −0.46, <i>p</i> < 0.001) but not among overweight/obese teens (<i>β</i> = 0.32, <i>p</i> > 0.10). Higher scores on emotion regulation were significantly associated with lower emotional eating at high (<i>β</i> = −1.59, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and low (<i>β</i> = −1.00, <i>p</i> < 0.01) levels of negative body image. Engagement in emotional eating was predicted by higher negative body image among overweight/obese teens only (<i>β</i> = 0.70, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Our findings show that while better childhood emotion regulation skills are associated with lower emotional eating, weight status and negative body image influence this link and should be considered as important foci in future interventions that aim to reduce emotional eating in adolescence.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/1/79child emotion regulationemotional eatingadolescenceweightbody image |
| spellingShingle | Lenka H. Shriver Jessica M. Dollar Susan D. Calkins Susan P. Keane Lilly Shanahan Laurie Wideman Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body Image Nutrients child emotion regulation emotional eating adolescence weight body image |
| title | Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body Image |
| title_full | Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body Image |
| title_fullStr | Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body Image |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body Image |
| title_short | Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body Image |
| title_sort | emotional eating in adolescence effects of emotion regulation weight status and negative body image |
| topic | child emotion regulation emotional eating adolescence weight body image |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/1/79 |
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