title: Emotional eating as a mediator between depression and weight gain.
abstract: Depression is often associated with weight gain but underlying mechanisms are unclear. This study assessed whether three psychological eating styles (emotional eating, external eating and restrained eating) act as mediators between depression and weight gain. We used structural equation modelling to test the hypothesized mediation models in a sample of 298 fathers and 294 mothers by assessing self-reported eating styles (Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire), depressive feelings (Depressive Mood List) and body mass index (BMI) at baseline and BMI after five years. In the model with emotional eating we also assessed the moderation effect of 5-HTTLPR genotype in a sub-sample of 520 Caucasians. All analyses were performed separately for the two sexes. Although the overall effect of depression on weight gain was statistically non-significant in both sexes, there was a causal chain between depression, emotional eating and weight gain in the mothers. Depressive symptoms were related to higher emotional eating and emotional eating predicted greater increases in BMI independently of depression. Moreover, the indirect effect (via emotional eating) of depression on BMI change was significant (Beta = 0.18, P = 0.026). This mediation effect was found to be independent of 5-HTTLPR genotype. No such mediation effect was found for the fathers. Further, external eating and restrained eating did not act as mediators between depression and weight gain in either sex. The finding that emotional eating acted as mediator between depression and weight gain in the mothers suggests that obesity interventions should take emotional eating into account.
authors.affiliation: Behavioural Science Institute and the Institute for Gender Studies, Radboud University Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Health Sciences and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: t.vanstrien@psych.ru.nl.
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: van Strien
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Research, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 54, 00014, Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: hanna.konttinen@helsinki.fi.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Konttinen
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9010, 6525 EZ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: j.homberg@cns.umcn.nl.
authors.forename: Judith R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Homberg
authors.affiliation: Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: rutgercmeengels@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Rutger C M E
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Engels
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences and the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: l.h.h.winkens@vu.nl.
authors.forename: Laura H H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Winkens
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000855:Anorexia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D006963:Hyperphagia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D057566:Self Report; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
keywords: Depressive feelings; Emotional eating; Gender; Longitudinal; Mediation; Weight gain