Difficulties regulating emotions: Do binge eaters have fewer strategies to modulate and tolerate negative affect?
The current study evaluated whether difficulties regulating emotions explained unique variance in binge eating and examined which types of emotion regulation difficulties are most strongly associated with binge eating. The Eating Disorders Diagnostic Scale and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale were completed by 695 undergraduates. Hierarchical regression results indicated that difficulties regulating emotions accounted for a significant amount of the variance in binge eating over and above sex, food restriction, and over-evaluation of weight and shape. Results also indicated that greater difficulty identifying and making sense of emotional states, and limited access to emotion regulation strategies were primarily responsible for the link between emotion regulation difficulties and binge eating. This supports a model of binge eating that includes emotional vulnerability and a deficit of skills to functionally modulate negative moods.
Whiteside
Ursula
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Box 351525, MS University Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1525, USA. star8@u.washington.edu
Chen
Eunice
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Neighbors
Clayton
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Hunter
Dorian
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Lo
Tracy
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Larimer
Mary
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D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D001364:Awareness; D001828:Body Image; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012307:Risk Factors; D015430:Weight Gain