title: Emotion Regulation and Mentalization in People at Risk for Food Addiction.
abstract: Researchers investigated the association among food addiction, difficulties in emotion regulation, and mentalization deficits in a sample of 322 Italian adults from the general population. All participants were administered the Italian versions of the Yale Food Addiction Scale (I-YFAS), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the Mentalization Questionnaire, the Binge Eating Scale, and the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test. Of respondents, 7.1% reported high food-addiction symptoms (ie, 3 or more symptoms of food addiction on the I-YFAS). In bivariate analyses, high food-addiction symptoms were associated with more difficulties in emotion regulation and mentalization deficits. In the multivariate analysis, high food-addiction symptoms remained independently associated with mentalization deficits, but not with difficulties in emotion regulation. Our data suggest that mentalization may play an important role in food addiction by making it difficult for an individual to understand his or her own inner mental states as well as the mental states of others, especially when powerful emotions arise.
authors.affiliation: a Università Europea di Roma and Istituto Skinner.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Innamorati
authors.affiliation: a Università Europea di Roma and Istituto Skinner.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Imperatori
authors.affiliation: b Psychiatric Day Hospital, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Policlinico Gemelli.
authors.forename: Désirée
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Harnic
authors.affiliation: c Suicide Prevention Center, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Erbuto
authors.affiliation: a Università Europea di Roma and Istituto Skinner.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Patitucci
authors.affiliation: b Psychiatric Day Hospital, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Policlinico Gemelli.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Janiri
authors.affiliation: d Emory University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Dorian A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lamis
authors.affiliation: c Suicide Prevention Center, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pompili
authors.affiliation: a Università Europea di Roma and Istituto Skinner.
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tamburello
authors.affiliation: a Università Europea di Roma and Istituto Skinner.
authors.forename: Mariantonietta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fabbricatore
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D000073932:Food Addiction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056345:Theory of Mind; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: alcohol misuse; binge eating; emotion dysregulation; food addiction; mentalization