Contributions of Emotional Overload, Emotion Dysregulation, and Impulsivity to Eating Patterns in Obese Patients with Binge Eating Disorder and Seeking Bariatric Surgery

Emotion dysregulation and obesity: A conceptual review of the literature

Problematic eating behaviours are prevalent in individuals living with obesity and have been linked to weight gain over time. Furthermore, there is evidence that heightened negative emotionality is common in a subset of individuals living with obesity and that negative emotions often precede problematic eating behaviours. Consequently, several theories have highlighted emotion dysregulation as a potential explanatory mechanism of this relationship. However, to date, no comprehensive review has compiled the specific ways in which individuals living with obesity exhibit emotion dysregulation. The present review utilizes Gratz and Roemer's (2004) multidimensional conceptualization of emotion regulation and dysregulation as a framework to summarize the extant literature on emotion dysregulation in obesity. Specifically, this review examines research related to: (1) awareness and clarity of emotions; (2) acceptance of, and willingness to experience, emotion; (3) the ability to remain goal directed and inhibit impulsive behaviour when distressed; and (4) access to emotion regulation strategies. Overall, findings from the present review demonstrate that individuals living with obesity exhibit deficits in emotion clarity, and experience difficulty inhibiting impulsive behaviour and remaining goal directed when experiencing emotion. Strengths and limitations of the literature are reviewed, and future research directions and clinical implications are discussed in light of these findings.

Neuroimaging studies of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging in eating disorders

Eating disorders (EDs), including anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge-eating disorder (BED), and pica, are psychobehavioral conditions characterized by abnormal eating behaviors and an excessive preoccupation with weight and body shape. This review examines changes in brain regions and functional connectivity in ED patients over the past decade (2013-2023) using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Key findings highlight alterations in brain networks such as the default mode network (DMN), central executive network (CEN), and emotion regulation network (ERN). In individuals with AN, there is reduced functional connectivity in areas associated with facial information processing and social cognition, alongside increased connectivity in regions linked to sensory stimulation, aesthetic judgment, and social anxiety. Conversely, BED patients show diminished connectivity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex within the salience network and increased connectivity in the posterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex within the DMN. These findings suggest that rs-fMRI could serve as a valuable biomarker for assessing brain function and predicting treatment outcomes in EDs, paving the way for personalized therapeutic strategies.

Self-Harm Before and Six Months After Obesity Surgery

PURPOSE

Previous research on obesity surgery (OS) showed that patients do not only experience weight loss but also improvements in certain mental health outcomes (e.g., depression) after OS. However, self-harm behaviors might increase after OS. Regarding self-harm, the literature is mostly limited to studies using data from hospital or emergency room charts. This longitudinal study examined self-reported self-harm behaviors and potential psychopathological correlates before and after OS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Pre-surgery patients (N = 220) filled out a set of questionnaires before and approximately six months after OS. Self-harm behaviors were captured with the Self-Harm Inventory. The assessments further included standardized instruments to measure symptoms of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, alcohol use, and suicidal ideations.

RESULTS

Any self-harm was reported by 24.6% before and by 25.0% after OS. No differences in the number of self-harm behaviors or prevalence of any self-harm before and after OS were found. Overall, 11.4% experienced self-harm behaviors at both times. A subset showed self-harm behaviors only before (13.2%) OS and another subset only after OS (13.6%). These two groups were about the same size. Self-harm behaviors showed strong associations with psychopathology after OS, especially with depression and suicidal ideation.

CONCLUSION

No increase in self-harm behaviors after OS emerged. Still, a subgroup showed self-harm behaviors after OS closely linked to further psychopathology. This mirrors the need to implement screening for self-harm before and after OS into OS care. Further studies with longer follow up periods are needed to extend these findings.

Risk and resilience in eating disorders: differentiating pathways among psychosocial predictors

OBJECTIVE

Eating disorders (EDs) represent a rising global health concern. The current study takes a multivariate approach to examine psychological (i.e., perfectionism, anxiety sensitivity [AS], emotion dysregulation) and sociocultural factors (i.e., body dissatisfaction) that may relate to risk and resilience in EDs.

METHODS

Participants were 698 undergraduate students (Mage = 21, SDage = 4.02), mainly female (71%) and Hispanic (61.6%), who participated in an online survey assessing perfectionism, emotion dysregulation, AS, body dissatisfaction, and eating behaviors.

RESULTS

The results from structural equation model analyses revealed differential associations with disordered eating (DE) outcomes. Self-oriented perfectionism and dysmorphic appearance concerns were associated with increased dieting/carb restriction, desire for thinness, and binging tendencies. Specifically, emotional nonacceptance and lack of emotional awareness showed associations with elevated risk for dieting/carb restriction and purging tendencies, respectively. Conversely, lack of emotional clarity showed a protective pathway to these risk behaviors. Anxiety sensitivity cognitive concerns related to higher purging tendencies, while AS social concerns related to lower purging and binging tendencies.

DISCUSSION

Findings highlight the differential pathways of psychosocial risk and resilience for EDs. Subscales of emotional dysregulation and AS showed risk as well as resilience associations with DE outcomes. This information is key for advancing transdiagnostic prevention and intervention to reduce the rising rates of EDs.

Emotion dysregulation links pathological eating styles and psychopathological traits in bariatric surgery candidates

Objectives

Approximately one-third of bariatric surgery patients experience weight regain or suboptimal weight loss within five years post-surgery. Pathological eating styles and psychopathological traits (e.g., emotion dysregulation) are recognized as potential hindrances to sustain weight loss efforts and are implicated in obesity development. A comprehensive understanding of these variables and their interplays is still lacking, despite their potential significance in developing more effective clinical interventions for bariatric patients. We investigate the prevalence of and interactions between pathological eating styles and psychopathological traits in this population.

Materials and methods

110 bariatric surgery candidates were characterized using the Binge Eating Scale (BES), Hamilton Depression/Anxiety Scales (HAM-D/A), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). We analyzed these variables with multiple logistic regression analyses and network analysis.

Results

Patients with pathological eating styles showed more pronounced anxiety/depressive symptoms and emotion dysregulation. Network analysis revealed strong connections between BES and DERS, with DERS also displaying robust connections with HAM-A/D and ECR scales. DERS and attention impulsivity (BIS-11-A) emerged as the strongest nodes in the network.

Discussion

Our findings demonstrate the mediating role of emotion dysregulation between pathological eating styles and psychopathological traits, supporting existing literature on the association between psychopathological traits, insecure attachment styles, and pathological eating behaviors. This research emphasizes the significance of emotion regulation in the complex network of variables contributing to obesity, and its potential impact on bariatric surgery outcomes. Interventions focusing on emotion regulation may thus lead to improved clinical outcomes for bariatric patients.

Factors increasing the risk for food addiction in Ecuadorian students

Background

Food addiction (FA) is a construct that has gained interest in recent years, but its relevance in the Ecuadorian population has not yet been explored. The aims of this study were to explore the differences in the psychological profile (including FA) between university students from Ecuador and to identify the underlying structure of the relationships of the FA severity level through a mediational model.

Methods

The sample consisted of 972 university students, women and men (mean age: 20.1 years old, SD = 2.6), recruited from four Ecuadorian regions. The assessment tools included a unidimensional scale of FA, eating-related measures, emotion regulation state, impulsivity, and psychopathology state. Path analysis modeled the direct and indirect effects explaining the FA severity level.

Results

The results indicated that higher psychopathological levels were associated with FA. Similarly, no differences in FA were observed between the Ecuadorian regions. The path analysis suggested that older age, female sex, and higher difficulties in emotional regulation, impulsivity, negative mood, and anxiety trigger disordered eating; subsequently, more impaired eating behavior impacted the FA level.

Conclusion

FA is a complex clinical entity that includes multiple components related to eating disorders (EDs) and other mental health problems. The results of this study provide empirical knowledge for designing evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies.

The First Exploratory Personalized Medicine Approach to Improve Bariatric Surgery Outcomes Utilizing Psychosocial and Genetic Risk Assessments: Encouraging Clinical Research

It is predicted that by 2030, globally, an estimated 2.16 billion adults will be overweight, and 1.12 billion will be obese. This study examined genetic data regarding Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) to evaluate their usefulness in counselling patients undergoing bariatric surgery and gathered preliminary data on the potential use in predicting short term (6-month) weight loss outcomes. Methods: Patients undergoing bariatric surgery (n = 34) were examined for Genetic Addiction Risk Severity (GARS) [measures the presence of risk alleles associated with RDS]; as well as their psychosocial traits (questionnaires). BMI changes and sociodemographic data were abstracted from Electronic Health Records. Results: Subjects showed ∆BMI (M = 10.0 ± 1.05 kg/m2) and a mean % excess weight loss (56 ± 13.8%). In addition, 76% of subjects had GARS scores above seven. The homozygote risk alleles for MAO (rs768062321) and DRD1 (rs4532) showed a 38% and 47% prevalence among the subjects. Of the 11 risk alleles identified by GARS, the DRD4 risk allele (rs1800955), was significantly correlated with change in weight and BMI six months post-surgery. We identified correlations with individual risk alleles and psychosocial trait scores. The COMT risk allele (rs4680) showed a negative correlation with EEI scores (r = -0.4983, p < 0.05) and PSQI scores (r = -0.5482, p < 0.05). The GABRB3 risk allele (rs764926719) correlated positively with EEI (r = 0.6161, p < 0.01) and FCQ scores (r = 0.6373, p < 0.01). The OPRM1 risk allele showed a positive correlation with the DERS score (r = 0.5228, p < 0.05). We also identified correlations between DERS and BMI change (r = 0.61; p < 0.01). Conclusions: These data support the potential benefit of a personalized medicinal approach inclusive of genetic testing and psychosocial trait questionnaires when counselling patients with obesity considering bariatric surgery. Future research will explore epigenetic factors that contribute to outcomes of bariatric surgery.

The effect of emotion regulation on emotional eating among undergraduate students in China: The chain mediating role of impulsivity and depressive symptoms

This study aimed to examine the relationship between difficulties in emotion regulation and emotional eating and the role of impulsivity and depressive symptoms in mediating this chain. Four hundred ninety-four undergraduate students participated in the study. A self-designed questionnaire was used in the survey from February 6 to 13, 2022, to finish our purpose, including the Emotional Eating Scale (EES-R), Depression Scale (CES-D), Short Version of the Impulsivity Behavior Scale (UPPS-P) and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). The results showed that 1) difficulties in emotion regulation, impulsivity, depressive symptoms, and emotional eating were correlated; 2) impulsivity and depressive symptoms separately mediated the relationship between difficulties in emotion regulation and emotional eating; 3) impulsivity and depressive symptoms played a chain mediating role between difficulties in emotion regulation and emotional eating. The current study provided a better understanding of the psychologically related pathway of emotional eating. The results would be helpful for prevention and intervention of emotional eating among undergraduate students.

Food addiction and binge eating disorder are linked to shared and unique deficits in emotion regulation among female seeking bariatric surgery

BACKGROUND

Problematic eating behaviors can indicate obesity-related problems. Food addiction (FA) is not classified as an official diagnosis. However, given the many commonalities between FA and binge-eating disorder (BED) within the context of obesity, it is imperative to conduct a comparative investigation. The current study aimed to identify overlapping and distinctive features in emotion dysregulation as an underlying mechanism and emotional eating as a clinical feature among four groups of females with obesity seeking bariatric surgery.

METHODS

Data on emotion dysregulation and emotional eating were derived from the total 128 Females with obesity seeking bariatric surgery (Mage = 38.91 ± 10.59, MBMI = 42.10 kg/m2 ± 4.43) divided into four groups: those with FA (n = 35), BED (n = 35), BED + FA (n = 31) and a control group of individuals with obesity only (OB; n = 27), using well-established measures.

RESULTS

Regarding descriptive statistics, the BED + FA group showed the highest levels of emotional dysregulation (M = 111.09) and emotional eating (M = 46.80), while the OB group acquired the lowest scores (M = 70.44 and M = 27.29, respectively). Univariate analyses of variance revealed significant differences between the four groups in terms of emotion dysregulation F(3, 124) = 24.63, p < .01 and emotional eating F(3, 124) = 26.26, p < .01. All of the emotion dysregulation domains revealed significant differences too. Pairwise comparisons using Bonferroni post hoc tests did not reveal any significant differences between BED + FA and BED groups, while all of our other hypotheses regarding this matter were confirmed.

CONCLUSIONS

The study found that individuals with obesity and comorbid BED exhibit greater emotional dysregulation compared to those with OB or FA, indicating a need to assess BED in individuals with obesity. Emotion dysregulation may be linked to increased BED and FA, but those with BED seem more affected by limited access to emotion regulation strategies. These findings support the notion that PEBs are associated with emotion dysregulation and underscore the need for tailored interventions that target emotion regulation skills before and after bariatric surgery.

An Examination of the Relationships between Eating-Disorder Symptoms, Difficulties with Emotion Regulation, and Mental Health in People with Binge Eating Disorder

Eating disorders, such as binge eating disorder, are commonly associated with difficulties with emotion regulation and mental-health complications. However, the relationship between eating-disorder symptoms, difficulties with emotion regulation, and mental health in people with binge eating disorder is unclear. Thus, we investigated associations between eating-disorder symptoms, difficulties with emotion regulation, and mental health in 119 adults with binge eating disorder. Participants were assessed with the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, Loss of Control over Eating Scale, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale, and the 12-Item Short Form Survey at the pre-treatment phase of a randomized controlled trial. Structural-equation-modelling path analysis was used to investigate relationships between variables. We found that (1) eating-disorder behaviors had a direct association with depression, anxiety, and stress; (2) depression, psychological stress, difficulties with emotion regulation, and eating-disorder psychopathology had a direct association with mental-health-related quality of life; and (3) eating-disorder psychopathology/behaviors and stress had a direct association with difficulties with emotion regulation. Our findings show that depression, stress, difficulties with emotion regulation, and eating-disorder psychopathology were related in important ways to mental-health complications in people with binge eating disorder.

Binge eating, depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in obese candidates for bariatric surgery

PURPOSE

The aim of the present study was to determine possible associations between binge eating, depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in obese candidates for bariatric surgery.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 254 obese patients recruited from the general surgery service for bariatric procedures at the hospital affiliated with the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil. Evaluations were performed using the Binge Eating Scale (BES), Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSSI) and a questionnaire addressing sociodemographic characteristics.

RESULTS

Most patients were women (82%), 48% had a moderate binge eating disorder, 42% a severe binge eating disorder, 32% had symptoms suggestive of mild, moderate or severe depression and 6% had suicidal ideation. Severe binge eating was positively associated with depressive symptoms (p < 0.001) and suicidal ideation (p < 0.05). Cases of severe binge eating were more frequent in young adults, but not necessarily associated with symptoms of depression or suicidal ideation in this portion of the sample.

CONCLUSIONS

The present findings underscore the need for psychological and psychiatric follow-up of obese candidates for bariatric surgery using appropriate assessment scales to guide therapeutic approaches.

LEVEL III

Evidence obtained from cross-sectional study.

Prevalence and associated factors of binge eating disorder among Bahraini youth and young adults: a cross-sectional study in a self-selected convenience sample

BACKGROUND

Binge eating disorder (BED) is defined as recurrent ingestion of an unusually large amount of food in a discrete period of time. BED has the highest prevalence of all eating disorders. Studies have shown a strong relationship between BED and both physical and psychological factors such as obesity, depression and anxiety. This research aimed to report the prevalence and associated factors of BED among Bahrainis (aged 15-30 years).

METHODS

A total of 959 participants (aged 15-30 years) completed self-administered online questionnaires. BED was measured using the binge eating disorder Screener-7. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and General Anxiety Disorder-7 were used to measure depression and anxiety, respectively.

RESULTS

Out of all participants, 21.2% had binge eating symptoms. A higher BMI, a restricted diet, depression and anxiety were associated with more frequent binge eating symptoms. Out of all associated factors, depression had the strongest association with binge eating, (rp = 0.371, p < 0.0001). However, sociodemographic variables including age and other medical conditions were not significantly associated with BED symptoms.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the prevalence of BED symptoms was significantly high among the study participants. The results point out the crucial role of awareness of the interaction between obesity, depression and anxiety as potential risk factors for binge eating tendencies. Further research should examine their relationship with BED.

Binge Eating Before and After Bariatric Surgery

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose is to review the state of the literature of binge eating in the context of bariatric surgery including prevalence, conceptualization, assessment, course, and related sequela throughout the perioperative continuum, particularly highlighting new advancements and future directions.

RECENT FINDINGS

Accurate assessment of binge eating in bariatric samples is essential for optimization of patient outcomes. Binge eating is less prevalent after bariatric surgery; however, prevalence rates increase over time. Most studies do not find a relationship between pre-operative binge eating and suboptimal weight outcomes after surgery. Refinement in understanding and conceptualization of post-operative binge eating is needed; new conceptualizations have proposed such a definition. Emerging constructs relevant to binge eating for bariatric patients include food addiction and food insecurity. Despite the introduction of formal diagnostic criteria for binge eating disorder, many uncertainties regarding the prevalence, course, and effects of binge eating currently exist; varied assessment methods continue to be a barrier to research on binge eating in bariatric surgery samples. Consensus on operational definitions for post-operative binge eating and best practices for assessment are areas for future consideration.

Stomatognathic System Changes in Obese Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review

Background: Obesity is a multifactorial chronic disease involving multiple organs, devices, and systems involving important changes in the stomatognathic system, such as in the orofacial muscles, temporomandibular joint, cheeks, nose, jaw, maxilla, oral cavity, lips, teeth, tongue, hard/soft palate, larynx, and pharynx. Patients with obesity indicated for bariatric surgery reportedly presented with abnormalities in the structures and function of the stomatognathic apparatus. This occurs through the accumulation of adipose tissue in the oral cavity and pharyngeal and laryngeal regions. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to elucidate the changes occurring in the stomatognathic system of patients with obesity after undergoing bariatric surgery. Method: Information was searched based on the equations developed with the descriptors obtained in DECS and MESH using the PRISMA methodology. Studies published between 2010 and October 2021 in databases including PubMed, ProQuest, Scielo, Dialnet, EBSCO, and Springer Link were considered. Results: Eighty articles met the inclusion criteria after evaluating the articles, thereby allowing for the determination of the morphophysiological correlation of the stomatognathic system with the population studied. At the morphological or structural level, changes were observed in the face, nose, cheeks, maxilla, jaw, lips, oral cavity, teeth, tongue, palate, temporomandibular joint, neck, muscles, head, shoulders, larynx, and pharynx. At the morphological level, the main changes occurred in, and the most information was obtained from, the labial structures, teeth, muscles, pharynx, and larynx. Physiological changes were in breathing, phonation, chewing, and swallowing, thereby revealing the imbalance in basic and vital functions. Conclusions: Analyzing the changes and structures of obese patients and candidates for bariatric surgery revealed that, in the preoperative period, the evidence is clear owing to the presence of a wide range of information. However, the information is more limited regarding the postoperative period; thus, further research focusing on characterization of the system postoperatively is warranted.

Two of a Kind? Mapping the Psychopathological Space between Obesity with and without Binge Eating Disorder

(1) Background: Obesity (OB) is a frequent co-morbidity in Binge Eating Disorder (BED), suggesting that both conditions share phenotypical features along a spectrum of eating-related behaviors. However, the evidence is inconsistent. This study aimed to comprehensively compare OB-BED patients against OB individuals without BED and healthy, normal-weight controls in general psychopathological features, eating-related phenotypes, and early life experiences. (2) Methods: OB-BED patients (n = 37), OB individuals (n = 50), and controls (n = 44) completed a battery of standardized questionnaires. Responses were analyzed using univariate comparisons and dimensionality reduction techniques (linear discriminant analysis, LDA). (3) Results: OB-BED patients showed the highest scores across assessments (e.g., depression, emotional and stress eating, food cravings, food addiction). OB-BED patients did not differ from OB individuals in terms of childhood traumatization or attachment styles. The LDA revealed a two-dimensional solution that distinguished controls from OB and OB-BED in terms of increasing problematic eating behaviors and attitudes, depression, and childhood adversities, as well as OB-BED from OB groups in terms of emotional eating tendencies and self-regulation impairments. (4) Conclusions: Findings support the idea of a shared spectrum of eating-related disorders but also highlight important distinctions relevant to identifying and treating BED in obese patients.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Improves Emotion Dysregulation Mainly in Binge Eating Disorder and Bulimia Nervosa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Emotion dysregulation is a transdiagnostic phenomenon in Eating Disorders (ED), and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) (which was developed for reducing dysregulated emotions in personality disorders) has been employed in patients with ED. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated whether the effect of DBT was stronger on emotion dysregulation, general psychopathology, and Body Mass Index (BMI) in participants with ED, when compared to a control group (active therapy and waitlist). Eleven studies were identified in a systematic search in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Most studies included participants with Binge Eating Disorder (BED) (n = 8), some with Bulimia Nervosa (BN) (n = 3), and only one with Anorexia Nervosa (AN). The pooled effect of DBT indicated a greater improvement in Emotion Regulation (ER) (g = −0.69, p = 0.01), depressive symptoms (g = −0.33, p < 0.00001), ED psychopathology (MD = −0.90, p = 0.005), Objective Binge Episodes (OBE) (MD = −0.27, p = 0.003), and BMI (MD = −1.93, p = 0.01) compared to the control group. No improvement was detected in eating ER following DBT (p = 0.41). DBT demonstrated greater efficacy compared with the control group in improving emotion dysregulation, ED psychopathology, and BMI in ED. The limitations included the small number of studies and high variability.

Cabral P, Guerreiro V, Lourenço R, Meira P, Salazar D, Ferreira MJ, Pedro J, Barkoudah E, Sande A, Lau E, B. Souto S, Preto J, Freitas P, Carvalho D. Beta Cell Function as a Baseline Predictor of Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery

BACKGROUND

Obesity is a multifactorial disease, which is strongly associated to other metabolic disorders. Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment of morbid obesity. The role of beta cell function in weight loss after bariatric surgery is uncertain.

AIM

To evaluate the association between beta cell function and percentage of total body weight loss (TBWL%) 1, 2, 3, and 4 years after bariatric surgery in patients with morbid obesity.

METHODS

Retrospective longitudinal study in patients with morbid obesity followed in our center between January 2010 and July 2018. Patients were excluded if they had diabetes at baseline or missing data on the needed parameters. We evaluated baseline Homeostatic Model Assessment of IR, Homeostatic Model Assessment of β-cell function (HOMA-beta), Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index, and Matsuda and DeFronzo index, and TBWL% at years 1 to 4. Linear regression models were used to evaluate the association of indexes of insulin resistance with TBWL% (unadjusted and adjusted for age, sex, BMI, and type of surgery).

RESULTS

There were 1,561 patients included in this analysis. HOMA-beta was negatively associated with TBWL% at second, third, and fourth years post-surgery (β = -1.04 [-1.82 to -0.26], p<0.01; β = -1.16 [-2.13 to -0.19], p=0.02; β = -1.29 [-2.64 to 0.06], p=0.061, respectively). This was not observed in the first year post-surgery nor for the other indexes. Glycemia at baseline was positively associated to EWL% at second and third years post-surgery.

CONCLUSION

β-cell function at baseline seems to be associated to long-term weight loss, explicitly after the first year post bariatric surgery. This might be a helpful predictor of weight loss in clinical practice.

Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ) in Spanish Colleges

Emotional eating (EE) patterns have been shown to play a relevant role in the development of overweight problems. However, there is a gap in research aimed at validating questionnaires to assess EE in specific populations. The aim of the study was to analyze factor structure and psychometric properties of Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ) in Spanish universities. EEQ, state-anxiety subscale of STAI and a questionnaire about health habits were filled out by 295 students. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) by using Unweight Least Squares (ULS) method was carried out. To determine factor numbers we used eigenvalues, parallel analysis, and goodness of fit statistics. Cronbach’s alpha and Spearman correlations were used to analyze reliability, convergent, and concurrent validity. The parallel analysis and goodness of fit statistics showed that unifactorial structure of seven items was the most appropriate what accounted for 57% of the variance. Internal consistency was good (α = 0.753), as well as convergent validity (r = 0.317; p < 0.001). Concurrent validity was significant for three of the five criteria (r = −0.224; p < 0.001 and r = −0.259; p < 0.001). The results suggest some differences in the structure of the psychometric assessment of EE in sub-clinical population in comparison with previous studies carried on with an overweight population, what could be relevant to obesity prevention.