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Chen G, Wang X, Barnhart WR, Fu Y, He J. Exploring the moderating roles of dispositional mindfulness and body image flexibility in the association between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in Chinese adolescents. J Clin Psychol 2024; 80:1998-2013. [PMID: 38781606 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 04/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Previous research suggests potential moderating roles of dispositional mindfulness and body image flexibility in the association between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. However, relevant research is mainly conducted on adult women from Western countries, and limited evidence exists for adolescent samples, especially from non-Western contexts (e.g., China). Thus, this study aimed to examine the moderating roles of dispositional mindfulness and body image flexibility in the relationship between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in Chinese adolescents. METHOD We recruited 545 Chinese adolescents (53.9% boys, aged 12-16 years) who completed measures of body dissatisfaction, dispositional mindfulness, body image flexibility, and disordered eating. Moderation analyses were examined with PROCESS macro on SPSS. RESULTS In separate models, both higher dispositional mindfulness and body image flexibility weakened relationships between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. However, when both dispositional mindfulness and body image flexibility were entered into the same moderation model, only body image flexibility showed a significant moderating effect. DISCUSSION Both dispositional mindfulness and body image flexibility may weaken the association between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in adolescents. However, body image flexibility might have a stronger effect than dispositional mindfulness. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at reducing body dissatisfaction to prevent disordered eating in adolescents may pay more attention to adolescents' body image flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gui Chen
- Department of Psychology, College of Educational Science, Hengyang Normal University, Hengyang, Hunan, China
| | - Xingchang Wang
- Department of Psychology, College of Educational Science, Hengyang Normal University, Hengyang, Hunan, China
| | - Wesley R Barnhart
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA
| | - Yuru Fu
- Division of Applied Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Jinbo He
- Division of Applied Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
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Xu Y, Song J, Ren Y, Barnhart WR, Dixit U, Ji F, Chen C, He J. Negative emotional eating patterns in general Chinese adults: A replication and expansion study examining group differences in eating disorder symptomatology, psychosocial impairment, and emotion regulation difficulties. Eat Behav 2024; 54:101899. [PMID: 38936286 DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2024.101899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024]
Abstract
Previous research identified four patterns of negative emotional eating in American and Chinese university students and proposed future directions (e.g., exploring potential differences in emotion regulation across patterns and replicating the patterns in a general, non-student population). Furthermore, prior research has not explored group differences in muscularity-oriented eating disorder symptomatology or psychosocial impairment. Therefore, the present study addressed these gaps in a sample of general Chinese adults, further testing group differences in typical and muscularity-oriented eating disorder symptomatology, psychosocial impairment, and emotion regulation difficulties across patterns of negative emotional eating. A total of 600 Chinese adults were recruited. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used. Results replicated the four patterns of negative emotional eating in previous research, including non-emotional eating (non-EE), emotional over- and under-eating (EOE-EUE), emotional over-eating (EOE), and emotional under-eating (EUE). Significant class differences were identified in eating disorder symptomatology, psychosocial impairment, and emotion regulation difficulties. Specifically, individuals with EOE and EOE-EUE patterns exhibited higher eating disorder symptomatology, higher psychosocial impairment, and more emotion regulation difficulties than those with non-EE and EUE patterns. Therefore, these two classes (i.e., EOE and EOE-EUE), especially the poorly researched EOE-EUE group, should be further examined to elucidate research and clinical applications. Furthermore, findings underscore the role of emotion regulation difficulties in further describing the differences across these negative emotional eating patterns, which can be considered in future interventions for reducing negative emotional eating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinuo Xu
- Division of Applied Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518172, PR China.
| | - Jianwen Song
- Department of Education Psychology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
| | - Yaoxiang Ren
- Division of Applied Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518172, PR China.
| | - Wesley R Barnhart
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA.
| | - Urvashi Dixit
- Department of Psychology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA.
| | - Feng Ji
- Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Chun Chen
- Division of Applied Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518172, PR China.
| | - Jinbo He
- Division of Applied Psychology, School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518172, PR China.
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Barnhart WR, Kalantzis M, Gaggiano C, Braden AL. The relation between questionnaire-measured self-reported emotional eating and disordered eating behaviors: A meta-analysis of nearly three decades of research. Appetite 2024; 198:107343. [PMID: 38604382 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Extensive research exists on the association between self-reported emotional eating (EE) and disordered eating (DE) behaviors. Heterogeneity exists by type (e.g., unidimensional vs. multidimensional) and valence (e.g., negative vs. positive) of self-reported EE, and no previous meta-analyses have examined the association between self-reported EE and DE behaviors. A total of 67 studies (N = 26,289; 43 reporting relations in one model, and 24 reporting relations in more than one model) met inclusion criteria; ranges for age and publication date were 18.0-61.8 years old and 1995 to 2022. Five models quantified relations between DE behaviors and 1) broad negative EE, 2) EE in response to depression, 3) EE in response to anger and anxiety, 4) EE in response to boredom, and 5) EE in response to positive emotions. Using random-effects models, pooled Cohen's d effect sizes suggested small, positive relations between DE behaviors and self-reported broad negative EE (d = 0.40, p < 0.001), EE-depression (d = 0.41, p < 0.001), EE-anger/anxiety (d = 0.35, p < 0.001), and EE-boredom (d = 0.38, p < 0.001). A significant, but very small, positive relation was observed between DE behaviors and self-reported EE-positive (d = 0.08, p = 0.01). Subgroup analyses suggested a medium, positive relation between self-reported broad negative EE and binge eating (d = 0.53, p < 0.001) and a small, positive relation between self-reported broad negative EE and dietary restraint (d = 0.20, p < 0.001). Significant heterogeneity was identified across all models except for the EE-boredom and DE behaviors model. Higher BMI, but not age, clinical status, or type of DE behavior strengthened the positive relation between self-reported broad negative EE and DE behaviors. Findings support previous research suggesting that negative and positive EE are distinct constructs, with negatively valenced EE being more closely associated with DE behaviors, especially binge eating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley R Barnhart
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA.
| | - Maria Kalantzis
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA
| | - Christina Gaggiano
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA
| | - Abby L Braden
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA
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Barnhart WR, Kalantzis MA, Braden AL. Mindfulness facets differentially relate to self-reported negative and positive emotional eating types in treatment-seeking adults with overweight/obesity. Eat Weight Disord 2023; 28:54. [PMID: 37351755 DOI: 10.1007/s40519-023-01578-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mindfulness is a meaningful therapeutic target in the treatment of emotional eating in adults with overweight/obesity. Descriptive research mapping relations between mindfulness facets and emotional eating types in treatment-seeking adults with overweight/obesity is needed. METHODS Cross-sectional relations between mindfulness facets (i.e., acting with awareness, describe, non-judgment, non-reactive, and observe; Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Short Form) and emotional eating types (i.e., self-reported negative and positive emotional eating; Emotional Eating Scale-Revised, Emotional Appetite Questionnaire) were examined in a treatment-seeking sample of adults with overweight/obesity (N = 63). RESULTS Significant bivariate correlations revealed negative relations between mindfulness facets and emotional eating types. Multiple regressions revealed that higher describe (β = - 0.42, p = 0.004) mindfulness was associated with lower self-reported emotional eating-anger/anxiety; higher non-reactive (β = - 0.31, p = 0.01) and non-judgment (β = - 0.28, p = 0.02) mindfulness were associated with lower self-reported emotional eating-depression; and higher non-judgment (β = 0.26, p = 0.04) mindfulness was associated with higher self-reported emotional eating-positive. CONCLUSIONS Describe, non-judgment, and non-reactive mindfulness were uniquely and significantly associated with eating in response to negative and positive emotions. Results suggest the potential need for intervention programs to be sensitive to the multidimensional nature of mindfulness in the treatment of distinct types of emotional eating in adults with overweight/obesity. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V, cross-sectional descriptive study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley R Barnhart
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA.
| | - Maria A Kalantzis
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA
| | - Abby L Braden
- Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA
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Binge Eating in a Slovenian Population-based Sample of Adults. Zdr Varst 2022; 62:39-47. [PMID: 36694796 PMCID: PMC9837812 DOI: 10.2478/sjph-2023-0006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Binge eating is the most common form of disordered eating associated with obesity, reduced quality of life, and medical and psychological comorbidities. It therefore affects the well-being of individuals. This underscores the fact that it is a serious public health problem. The study aimed to investigate binge eating and anxiety across gender, age and body mass index in a large population sample of adults in Slovenia. Methods A total of 3,310 adult volunteers participated in this cross-sectional study. Questionnaires, including a binge eating and anxiety scale and an eating behaviour questionnaire, were completed by 1,487 subjects (90.9% female, ages 18 to 69). Results The frequency of reported binge eating was 29.9%, with 9.8% of participants reporting severe binge eating, and the presence of overweight and obesity was high (41.8%). BMI was associated with this problematic eating, and explained 5.4% of the variation in binge eating. Importantly, anxiety was the most important factor related to binge eating, with younger participants and women reporting significantly more anxiety. Conclusion The high presence of binge eating, obesity and anxiety in the Slovenian population-based sample is worrying. Anxiety is clearly an important factor in understanding the relationship between negative affect and binge eating, as it accounts for a greater proportion of the variance in binge eating symptoms than BMI. Particularly concerning was the fact that the youngest participants showed the greatest anxiety. Targeting anxious adolescents and females is important from a health perspective because it can impact the physical and mental health of the population in the long term.
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Calderón-Asenjo RE, Jalk-Muñoz MC, Calizaya-Milla YE, Calizaya-Milla SE, Ramos-Vera C, Saintila J. Association Between Emotional Eating, Sociodemographic Characteristics, Physical Activity, Sleep Duration, and Mental and Physical Health in Young Adults. J Multidiscip Healthc 2022; 15:2845-2859. [PMID: 36536663 PMCID: PMC9759015 DOI: 10.2147/jmdh.s391752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Emotional eating (EmE) is one of the most common eating behaviors maladaptive among young adults, however, in the Peruvian context, it remains unexplored. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to determine the association between negative EmE, sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity, sleep duration, and mental and physical health in young adults. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted in 400 young Peruvian adults living in three regions of Peru (coast, jungle, and highlands). An online survey was used to collect information on sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity, sleep duration, depressive symptoms, anxiety, hypertension, and negative EmE. In addition, self-reported anthropometric data were collected to calculate body mass index (BMI). RESULTS Approximately 55.8% of women presented negative EmE. Logistic regression analysis revealed that participants aged 30-39 years were less likely to have negative EmE in both female and male gender, OR; 0.24, 95% CI; 0.08-0.66, p<0.01 and OR; 0.40, 95% CI; 0.16-0.97, p<0.05, respectively. Perform physical activity 3 to 4 times 5.22 (95% CI: 1.31-20.78), 1 to 2 times a week 5.77 (95% CI: 1.91-17.44), and never 15.18 (95% CI: 3.90-59.00) were associated with negative EmE. Moreover, sleeping less than 7 hours per day (OR; 2.26, 95% CI; 1.04-4.90), depressive symptoms (OR = 6.29, 95% CI: 1.27-31.19), anxiety (OR = 14.13, 95% CI: 2.46-80. 97, p<0.01), hypertension (OR = 7.58, 95% CI: 1.24-46.17), and BMI ≥25 (overweight/obese) (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.66-3.41) were associated with negative EmE. CONCLUSION The findings show that there is an association between negative EmE, sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity, sleep duration, and mental and physical health in young adults.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yaquelin E Calizaya-Milla
- School of Human Nutrition, Peruvian Union University, Lima, Peru
- Research Group for Nutrition and Lifestyle, Peruvian Union University, Lima, Peru
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Negative Mood and Food Craving Strength Among Women with Overweight: Implications for Targeting Mechanisms Using a Mindful Eating Intervention. Mindfulness (N Y) 2021; 12:2997-3010. [PMID: 34584574 PMCID: PMC8460847 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-021-01760-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Objectives When experiencing negative mood, people often eat to improve their mood. A learned association between mood and eating may cultivate frequent food cravings, detracting from health goals. Training in mindful eating may target this cycle of emotion-craving-eating by teaching individuals to manage urges when experiencing negative mood. We examined the impact of a mobile mindful eating intervention on the link between negative mood and food cravings among overweight women. Methods In a single-arm trial, participants (n = 64, M age = 46.1 years, M BMI = 31.5 kg/m2) completed ecological momentary assessments of negative mood and food cravings 3 times/day for 3 days pre- and post-intervention, as well as 1-month post-intervention. Using multilevel linear regression, we compared associations between negative mood and food craving strength at pre- vs. post-intervention (model 1) and post-intervention vs. 1-month follow-up (model 2). Results In model 1, negative mood interacted with time point (β = − .20, SE = .09, p = .02, 95% CI [− .38, − .03]) to predict craving strength, indicating that the within-person association between negative mood and craving strength was significantly weaker at post-intervention (β = 0.18) relative to pre-intervention (β = 0.38). In model 2, negative mood did not interact with time point to predict craving strength (β = .13, SE = .09, p = .10, 95% CI − .03, .31]); the association did not significantly differ between post-intervention and 1-month follow-up. Conclusions Training in mindful eating weakened the mood-craving association from pre- to post-intervention. The weakened association remained at follow-up. Our findings highlight the mood-craving link as a target-worthy mechanism of mindful eating that should be assessed in clinical trials. Trial Registration NCT02694731 Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12671-021-01760-z.
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Sze KYP, Lee EKP, Chan RHW, Kim JH. Prevalence of negative emotional eating and its associated psychosocial factors among urban Chinese undergraduates in Hong Kong: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health 2021; 21:583. [PMID: 33761930 PMCID: PMC7988990 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-10531-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Emotional eating (EE), defined as eating in response to a range of emotions, has been previously associated with poor diet and obesity. Since there are limited data from non-Western populations, this study aims to examine the prevalence and factors associated with EE among urban Chinese university students. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on 424 university students (aged 18–24 years) from two large universities in Hong Kong in 2019. Respondents completed an anonymous online questionnaire that contained background questions, an emotional eating subscale of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ), and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21). Two-sample independent t-test and multiple regression analyses were conducted to test the association of study variables with negative emotional eating. Results There was over a three-fold higher likelihood of negative EE among females (14.8%) when compared with their male counterparts (4.5%) (OR = 3.7, p < 0.05). Having at least mild depressive symptoms was the only independent factor associated with negative EE among males (OR = 10.1) while for females, negative EE was independently associated with not having a romantic partner (OR = 3.45), having depressive symptoms (OR = 44.5), and having at least mild stress (OR = 5.65). Anxiety levels were not independently associated with negative EE for either gender. Both male and female students with negative EE had significantly lower self-perceived health scores, higher body mass index, and lower life satisfaction scores. Conclusions This study revealed that negative EE is prevalent among female Chinese university students and not uncommon among male students. Management of negative EE should be included as a component of university mental health promotion programmes in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Y P Sze
- Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Eric K P Lee
- Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Rufina H W Chan
- Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Jean H Kim
- Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR.
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