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Article

Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body Image

1
Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), Greensboro, NC 27402, USA
2
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, UNCG, Greensboro, NC 27402, USA
3
Office of Research and Engagement, UNCG, Greensboro, NC 27402, USA
4
Department of Psychology, UNCG, Greensboro, NC 27402, USA
5
Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland
6
Department of Kinesiology, UNCG, Greensboro, NC 27402, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nutrients 2021, 13(1), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13010079
Submission received: 30 November 2020 / Revised: 22 December 2020 / Accepted: 27 December 2020 / Published: 29 December 2020
(This article belongs to the Section Nutrition and Public Health)

Abstract

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 (n = 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 (β = 1.19, p < 0.01) and negative body image (β = −0.34, p < 0.01). Higher engagement in emotional eating was predicted by lower emotional regulation scores among normal-weight teens (β = −0.46, p < 0.001) but not among overweight/obese teens (β = 0.32, p > 0.10). Higher scores on emotion regulation were significantly associated with lower emotional eating at high (β = −1.59, p < 0.001) and low (β = −1.00, p < 0.01) levels of negative body image. Engagement in emotional eating was predicted by higher negative body image among overweight/obese teens only (β = 0.70, p < 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.
Keywords: child emotion regulation; emotional eating; adolescence; weight; body image child emotion regulation; emotional eating; adolescence; weight; body image

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Shriver, L.H.; Dollar, J.M.; Calkins, S.D.; Keane, S.P.; Shanahan, L.; Wideman, L. Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body Image. Nutrients 2021, 13, 79. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13010079

AMA Style

Shriver LH, Dollar JM, Calkins SD, Keane SP, Shanahan L, Wideman L. Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body Image. Nutrients. 2021; 13(1):79. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13010079

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shriver, Lenka H., Jessica M. Dollar, Susan D. Calkins, Susan P. Keane, Lilly Shanahan, and Laurie Wideman. 2021. "Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body Image" Nutrients 13, no. 1: 79. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13010079

APA Style

Shriver, L. H., Dollar, J. M., Calkins, S. D., Keane, S. P., Shanahan, L., & Wideman, L. (2021). Emotional Eating in Adolescence: Effects of Emotion Regulation, Weight Status and Negative Body Image. Nutrients, 13(1), 79. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13010079

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