scholarly journals Relations Between Mood States and Eating Behavior During COVID-19 Pandemic in a Sample of Italian College Students

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Concetta De Pasquale ◽  
Federica Sciacca ◽  
Daniela Conti ◽  
Maria Luisa Pistorio ◽  
Zira Hichy ◽  
...  

The fear of contagion during the COVID-19 pandemic has been indicated as a relevant cause of psychological pathologies occurring in this period. Food represents a compensating experience, distracting from the experiences of uncertainty, fear and despair, causing alterations in eating habits and behaviors. The study aims at evaluating the relations between fear of a pandemic, mood states and eating disorders in Italian college students, taking into account gender differences. During the lockdown for the pandemic, a sample of 469 college students equally distributed by gender, was recruited online using a questionnaire including the FCV-19S for the assessment of fear of COVID-19, the profile of mood states (POMS) for the evaluation of different emotional states, the eating disorder inventory-2 (EDI-2) and the binge eating scale (BES) to evaluate the presence of the levels of eating disorders. As expected, all emotive states measured by POMS (tension, depression, anger, tiredness, confusion) resulted significantly correlated with the fear of COVID-19. Women were more exposed to fear of COVID-19 showing greater tension, fatigue, depression and confusion, and a significantly higher total mood disturbance score than males. Regarding the EDI-2 and BES variables, tension and anxiety resulted significantly correlated also with bulimic behavior, while depression with interoceptive awareness, impulsivity, and binge eating behaviors, without gender differences. In conclusion, the negative impact of the fear of COVID-19 on the emotional profile and eating behavior suggests the need to implement strategies against psychological distress during the pandemic emergency, and to design psycho-educational interventions aimed at modifying the lifestyle for preventing risks of mental disorders fostering health-oriented behaviors.

2020 ◽  
pp. 003151252098308
Author(s):  
Bianca G. Martins ◽  
Wanderson R. da Silva ◽  
João Marôco ◽  
Juliana A. D. B. Campos

In this study we proposed to estimate the impact of lifestyle, negative affectivity, and college students’ personal characteristics on eating behavior. We aimed to verify that negative affectivity moderates the relationship between lifestyle and eating behavior. We assessed eating behaviors of cognitive restraint (CR), uncontrolled eating (UE), and emotional eating (EE)) with the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-18. We assessed lifestyle with the Individual Lifestyle Profile, and we assessed negative affectivity with the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21. We constructed and tested (at p < .05) a hypothetical causal structural model that considered global (second-order) and specific (first-order) lifestyle components, negative affectivity and sample characteristics for each eating behavior dimension. Participants were 1,109 college students ( M age = 20.9, SD = 2.7 years; 65.7% females). We found significant impacts of lifestyle second-order components on negative affectivity (β = −0.57–0.19; p < 0.001–0.01) in all models. Physical and psychological lifestyle components impacted directly only on CR (β=−0.32–0.81; p < 0.001). Negative affectivity impacted UE and EE (β = 0.23–0.30; p < 0.001). For global models, we found no mediation pathways between lifestyle and CR or UE. For specific models, negative affectivity was a mediator between stress management and UE (β=−0.07; p < 0.001). Negative affectivity also mediated the relationship between thoughts of dropping an undergraduate course and UE and EE (β = 0.06–0.08; p < 0.001). Participant sex and weight impacted all eating behavior dimensions (β = 0.08–0.34; p < 0.001–0.01). Age was significant for UE and EE (β=−0,14– −0.09; p < 0.001–0.01). Economic stratum influenced only CR (β = 0.08; p = 0.01). In sum, participants’ lifestyle, negative emotions and personal characteristics were all relevant for eating behavior assessment.


Author(s):  
Caitlin Mason ◽  
Jean de Dieu Tapsoba ◽  
Catherine Duggan ◽  
Ching-Yun Wang ◽  
Catherine M. Alfano ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Certain eating behaviors are common among women with obesity. Whether these behaviors influence outcomes in weight loss programs, and whether such programs affect eating behaviors, is unclear. Methods Our aim was to examine the effect of baseline eating behaviors on intervention adherence and weight among postmenopausal women with overweight or obesity, and to assess intervention effects on eating behaviors. Four hundred and 39 women (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) were randomized to 12 months of: i) dietary weight loss with a 10% weight loss goal (‘diet’; n = 118); ii) moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic exercise for 225 mins/week (‘exercise’; n = 117); iii) combined dietary weight loss and exercise (‘diet + exercise’; n = 117); or iv) no-lifestyle change control (n = 87). At baseline and 12 months, restrained eating, uncontrolled eating, emotional eating and binge eating were measured by questionnaire; weight and body composition were assessed. The mean change in eating behavior scores and weight between baseline and 12 months in the diet, exercise, and diet + exercise arms were each compared to controls using the generalized estimating equation (GEE) modification of linear regression adjusted for age, baseline BMI, and race/ethnicity. Results Baseline restrained eating was positively associated with change in total calories and calories from fat during the dietary intervention but not with other measures of adherence. Higher baseline restrained eating was associated with greater 12-month reductions in weight, waist circumference, body fat and lean mass. Women randomized to dietary intervention had significant reductions in binge eating (− 23.7%, p = 0.005 vs. control), uncontrolled eating (− 24.3%, p < 0.001 vs. control), and emotional eating (− 31.7%, p < 0.001 vs. control) scores, and a significant increase in restrained eating (+ 60.6%, p < 0.001 vs. control); women randomized to diet + exercise reported less uncontrolled eating (− 26.0%, p < 0.001 vs. control) and emotional eating (− 22.0%, p = 0.004 vs. control), and increased restrained eating (+ 41.4%, p < 0.001 vs. control). Women randomized to exercise alone had no significant change in eating behavior scores compared to controls. Conclusions A dietary weight loss intervention helped women modify eating behaviors. Future research should investigate optimal behavioral weight loss interventions for women with both disordered eating and obesity. Trial registration NCT00470119 (https://clinicaltrials.gov). Retrospectively registered May 7, 2007.


1994 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet L. Guss ◽  
Harry R. Kissilejf ◽  
B. Timothy Walsh ◽  
Michael J. Devlin

Author(s):  
Marco La Marra ◽  
Walter Sapuppo ◽  
Giorgio Caviglia

The aim of this study has been to investigate the dissociative phenomena and the difficulties related to perceive, understand and describe the proper ones and other people's emotional states in a sample of 53 patients with Eating Disorders. The recruited sample is made by 14 Anorexia Nervosa (AN) patients, 15 with Bulimia Nervosa (BN), 12 with Eating Disorder Non Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) and 12 with Binge Eating Disorder (BED). To all subjects was administred the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, the Dissociative Experiences Scale and the Scala Alessitimica Romana. In according with literature, we confirme the relationships among Eating Disorders, the dissociative phenomena and Alexithymia.


Author(s):  
Myrna M. Weissman ◽  
John C. Markowitz ◽  
Gerald L. Klerman

This chapter provides an overview of the use of IPT for patients with eating disorders. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. The chapter discusses the adaptations of IPT that have been used for the treatment of eating disorders and evaluates their performance in research studies. The assumption for testing IPT with eating disorders is that they occur in response to distress at poor social and interpersonal functioning and consequent negative mood, to which the patient responds with maladaptive eating behaviors. For anorexia nervosa, few data provide evidence for the benefit of IPT. For bulimia and binge eating disorder, however, IPT is considered a viable option for treatment and is recommended in numerous guidelines. A case example of a woman with bulimia nervosa is provided.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 7-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn E. Phillips ◽  
Susan Kelly-Weeder ◽  
Katherine Farrell

1989 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 795-800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara C. Szekely ◽  
Paul C. Raffeld ◽  
Greg Snodgrass

The Eating Disorders Inventory was administered to 595 nonclinical male and female undergraduate college students in response to observations at the counseling center that an increasing number of students were seeking assistance for problems associated with binge eating. The purpose of the study was to identify a group with bulimic characteristics, and since secrecy is associated with bulimia, to compare students' responses when anonymous vs name-identified. Statistical analyses of the eight subscales of the inventory showed no significant differences by anonymity vs identification, but significant differences by sex and by weight-preoccupation existed.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0255634
Author(s):  
B. Sue Graves ◽  
Michael E. Hall ◽  
Carolyn Dias-Karch ◽  
Michael H. Haischer ◽  
Christine Apter

Background Many college students register each semester for courses, leading to productive careers and fulfilled lives. During this time, the students have to manage many stressors stemming from academic, personal, and, sometimes, work lives. Students, who lack appropriate stress management skills, may find it difficult to balance these responsibilities. Objectives This study examined stress, coping mechanisms, and gender differences in undergraduate students towards the end of the semester. Design and method University students (n = 448) enrolled in three different undergraduate exercise science courses were assessed. Two instruments, the Perceived Stress Scale and Brief Cope, were administered during the twelfth week of the semester, four weeks prior to final exams. T-tests were used to detect gender differences for the stress levels and coping strategies. Results Overall, females indicated higher levels of stress than their male counterparts. Gender differences were evident in both coping dimensions and individual coping strategies used. Females were found to utilize the emotion-focused coping dimension and endorsed the use of four coping strategies more often than males. These included self-distraction, emotional support, instrumental support, and venting. Conclusions This research adds to the existing literature by illuminating the level of perceived stress and different coping strategies used by undergraduate female and male students. In turn, students may need educational interventions to develop effective and healthy coping strategies to last a lifetime. Faculty and other university officials may want to highlight and understand these various factors to protect the students’ wellbeing in their classes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Thomas ◽  
E Diemer ◽  
R Siliquini ◽  
P W Jansen

Abstract Background Adversities such as maltreatment and physical and emotional abuse are recognized risk factors for eating disorders (EDs) in adolescents and adults, but whether such adversities are also associated with eating behaviors in childhood has been less explored. Our aim was to examine whether a wide range of life events can predict emotional overeating and restrained eating in childhood, which are potential precursors of EDs. Methods The study is embedded in Generation R, a prospective population-based cohort. The sample included 4653 children aged 10 years. Emotional overeating was assessed with the Children’s Eating Behavior Questionnaire, and restrained eating with the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire. Mothers reported the occurrence of 24 adverse events in their offspring’s childhood. Regression analyses were conducted, both unadjusted and adjusted for gender, ethnicity, and parental education and psychopathology. Results Unadjusted models showed that a higher number of life events is associated with more emotional overeating and more restrained eating; effect estimates attenuated slightly in the adjusted model, but remained significant (per 1 more life event: B = 0.05, 95%CI 0.02-0.08; B = 0.04, 95%CI 0.02-0.07, respectively). Particularly, participants who experienced at least 3 life events had high levels of emotional overeating and restrained eating (adjusted model: B = 0.20, 95%CI 0.06-0.33; B = 0.21, 95%CI 0.08-0.33, respectively). The specific maltreatment related life events were not significantly associated with eating behaviors, probably due to low prevalence of these events (n = 149). Conclusions This novel, population-based study shows that early life adversities may predict disordered eating behaviors in childhood. The results are in line with clinical studies on life events and EDs. If the studied eating behaviors are indeed precursors of EDs, these results may offer potential for prevention and early intervention to avoid the development of full-blown EDs. Key messages Eating disorders account for more than 2% of the global disease burden, thus representing a major Public Mental Health topic in the EU; more and new measures are required for early detection purposes. Life adversities predict disordered eating behaviors in childhood, which are considered precursors of eating disorders: early detection of this association may avoid development of eating disorders.


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