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Consuming Your Feelings: The Mechanisms Underpinning Emotional Eating / Aimee E. Pink

DOI (Published version): 10.23889/Suthesis.50331

Abstract

Obesity continues to have a huge impact on society, with emotional eating considered to be one of many driving factors. Consequently, the overarching aim of this thesis is to investigate the mechanisms underpinning emotional eating, paying specific attention to the role of emotional dysregulation. E...

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Published: 2019
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa50331
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fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2019-05-17T08:52:50.3431480</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>50331</id><entry>2019-05-13</entry><title>Consuming Your Feelings: The Mechanisms Underpinning Emotional Eating</title><swanseaauthors/><date>2019-05-13</date><abstract>Obesity continues to have a huge impact on society, with emotional eating considered to be one of many driving factors. Consequently, the overarching aim of this thesis is to investigate the mechanisms underpinning emotional eating, paying specific attention to the role of emotional dysregulation. Emotional dysregulation involves a combination of emotional vulnerability and an inability to regulate emotional responses which can lead to the adoption of maladaptive coping strategies, including emotional eating. However, emotional dysregulation also encompasses many of the features characteristic of alexithymia, including difficulty identifying and describing feelings. As a result, and in order to further elucidate the complex mechanisms underpinning emotional eating, alexithymia is used as a correlate of emotional dysregulation in this thesis. In addition, as alexithymia has been related to both impulsiveness and negative affect, and that emotional eating is grounded in the idea that the consumption of food follows an emotional experience, negative urgency and negative affect will also be explored as key constructs. Chapter One reviews the current literature on emotional eating, alexithymia, impulsivity and negative affect. It also sets out the aims and objectives of this thesis, putting forward a novel theoretical model to examine the influence of emotional dysregulation on emotional eating, and in turn, body mass index. Chapter Two presents the results of two studies (an exploratory analysis in a student sample and a self-replication in a more representative general population sample) examining the factors mediating the relationship between emotional dysregulation, emotional eating, and body mass index. In addition to significant associations between emotional dysregulation and emotional eating in the student sample, negative affect and negative urgency were found to mediate the relationship between alexithymia and emotional eating. However, even though significant associations between emotional dysregulation and emotional eating were confirmed in the general population sample, different pathways emerged. Specifically, negative affect was the only significant mediator between alexithymia and emotional eating. Chapters Three and Four focus on whether simulating emotional dysregulation in an experimental setting directly affects food intake. Specifically, a novel method of inducing emotional confusion as an analogue of alexithymia is developed and piloted in Chapter Three, followed by a fully powered mood manipulation study in Chapter Four to assess food intake following the induction of positive, negative and emotionally confusing mood states. Compared to a control condition, food intake did not differ significantly across experimental mood conditions. Finally, in Chapter Five, the initial theoretical model described at the end of Chapter One is extended to include interoceptive awareness and feeling fat. Here, the ability to trust bodily sensations and the experience of feeling fat was found to significantly mediate the relationship between emotional dysregulation and emotional eating. The model is also extended to include negative urgency, with increased levels of alexithymia related to a reduction in trusting bodily sensations, which in turn increases the tendency to experience sensations of feeling fat, followed by reacting rashly to alleviate the associated feelings (negative urgency), and therefore, an increased propensity to engage in emotional eating. Overall, the research presented in this thesis takes the first steps in developing an inclusive theoretical model of emotional eating. Whilst the precise nature in which emotional dysregulation influences emotional eating remains unclear, the results of this thesis nevertheless supports the role of emotional dysregulation and has important implications for the development of interventions to aid weight loss/management.</abstract><type>E-Thesis</type><journal/><publisher/><keywords>Emotional Eating</keywords><publishedDay>31</publishedDay><publishedMonth>12</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2019</publishedYear><publishedDate>2019-12-31</publishedDate><doi>10.23889/Suthesis.50331</doi><url/><notes>A selection of third party content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis.</notes><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><degreelevel>Doctoral</degreelevel><degreename>Ph.D</degreename><apcterm/><lastEdited>2019-05-17T08:52:50.3431480</lastEdited><Created>2019-05-13T16:07:07.1934197</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences</level><level id="2">School of Psychology</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Aimee E.</firstname><surname>Pink</surname><order>1</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>0050331-17052019085124.pdf</filename><originalFilename>Pink_Aimee_E_PhD_Thesis_Final_Embargoed_01.06.20_Redacted.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2019-05-17T08:51:24.4970000</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>4031928</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>Redacted version - open access</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><embargoDate>2020-06-01T00:00:00.0000000</embargoDate><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2019-05-17T08:52:50.3431480 v2 50331 2019-05-13 Consuming Your Feelings: The Mechanisms Underpinning Emotional Eating 2019-05-13 Obesity continues to have a huge impact on society, with emotional eating considered to be one of many driving factors. Consequently, the overarching aim of this thesis is to investigate the mechanisms underpinning emotional eating, paying specific attention to the role of emotional dysregulation. Emotional dysregulation involves a combination of emotional vulnerability and an inability to regulate emotional responses which can lead to the adoption of maladaptive coping strategies, including emotional eating. However, emotional dysregulation also encompasses many of the features characteristic of alexithymia, including difficulty identifying and describing feelings. As a result, and in order to further elucidate the complex mechanisms underpinning emotional eating, alexithymia is used as a correlate of emotional dysregulation in this thesis. In addition, as alexithymia has been related to both impulsiveness and negative affect, and that emotional eating is grounded in the idea that the consumption of food follows an emotional experience, negative urgency and negative affect will also be explored as key constructs. Chapter One reviews the current literature on emotional eating, alexithymia, impulsivity and negative affect. It also sets out the aims and objectives of this thesis, putting forward a novel theoretical model to examine the influence of emotional dysregulation on emotional eating, and in turn, body mass index. Chapter Two presents the results of two studies (an exploratory analysis in a student sample and a self-replication in a more representative general population sample) examining the factors mediating the relationship between emotional dysregulation, emotional eating, and body mass index. In addition to significant associations between emotional dysregulation and emotional eating in the student sample, negative affect and negative urgency were found to mediate the relationship between alexithymia and emotional eating. However, even though significant associations between emotional dysregulation and emotional eating were confirmed in the general population sample, different pathways emerged. Specifically, negative affect was the only significant mediator between alexithymia and emotional eating. Chapters Three and Four focus on whether simulating emotional dysregulation in an experimental setting directly affects food intake. Specifically, a novel method of inducing emotional confusion as an analogue of alexithymia is developed and piloted in Chapter Three, followed by a fully powered mood manipulation study in Chapter Four to assess food intake following the induction of positive, negative and emotionally confusing mood states. Compared to a control condition, food intake did not differ significantly across experimental mood conditions. Finally, in Chapter Five, the initial theoretical model described at the end of Chapter One is extended to include interoceptive awareness and feeling fat. Here, the ability to trust bodily sensations and the experience of feeling fat was found to significantly mediate the relationship between emotional dysregulation and emotional eating. The model is also extended to include negative urgency, with increased levels of alexithymia related to a reduction in trusting bodily sensations, which in turn increases the tendency to experience sensations of feeling fat, followed by reacting rashly to alleviate the associated feelings (negative urgency), and therefore, an increased propensity to engage in emotional eating. Overall, the research presented in this thesis takes the first steps in developing an inclusive theoretical model of emotional eating. Whilst the precise nature in which emotional dysregulation influences emotional eating remains unclear, the results of this thesis nevertheless supports the role of emotional dysregulation and has important implications for the development of interventions to aid weight loss/management. E-Thesis Emotional Eating 31 12 2019 2019-12-31 10.23889/Suthesis.50331 A selection of third party content is redacted or is partially redacted from this thesis. COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Doctoral Ph.D 2019-05-17T08:52:50.3431480 2019-05-13T16:07:07.1934197 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences School of Psychology Aimee E. Pink 1 0050331-17052019085124.pdf Pink_Aimee_E_PhD_Thesis_Final_Embargoed_01.06.20_Redacted.pdf 2019-05-17T08:51:24.4970000 Output 4031928 application/pdf Redacted version - open access true 2020-06-01T00:00:00.0000000 true
title Consuming Your Feelings: The Mechanisms Underpinning Emotional Eating
spellingShingle Consuming Your Feelings: The Mechanisms Underpinning Emotional Eating
,
title_short Consuming Your Feelings: The Mechanisms Underpinning Emotional Eating
title_full Consuming Your Feelings: The Mechanisms Underpinning Emotional Eating
title_fullStr Consuming Your Feelings: The Mechanisms Underpinning Emotional Eating
title_full_unstemmed Consuming Your Feelings: The Mechanisms Underpinning Emotional Eating
title_sort Consuming Your Feelings: The Mechanisms Underpinning Emotional Eating
author ,
author2 Aimee E. Pink
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2019
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/Suthesis.50331
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str School of Psychology{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Psychology
document_store_str 1
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description Obesity continues to have a huge impact on society, with emotional eating considered to be one of many driving factors. Consequently, the overarching aim of this thesis is to investigate the mechanisms underpinning emotional eating, paying specific attention to the role of emotional dysregulation. Emotional dysregulation involves a combination of emotional vulnerability and an inability to regulate emotional responses which can lead to the adoption of maladaptive coping strategies, including emotional eating. However, emotional dysregulation also encompasses many of the features characteristic of alexithymia, including difficulty identifying and describing feelings. As a result, and in order to further elucidate the complex mechanisms underpinning emotional eating, alexithymia is used as a correlate of emotional dysregulation in this thesis. In addition, as alexithymia has been related to both impulsiveness and negative affect, and that emotional eating is grounded in the idea that the consumption of food follows an emotional experience, negative urgency and negative affect will also be explored as key constructs. Chapter One reviews the current literature on emotional eating, alexithymia, impulsivity and negative affect. It also sets out the aims and objectives of this thesis, putting forward a novel theoretical model to examine the influence of emotional dysregulation on emotional eating, and in turn, body mass index. Chapter Two presents the results of two studies (an exploratory analysis in a student sample and a self-replication in a more representative general population sample) examining the factors mediating the relationship between emotional dysregulation, emotional eating, and body mass index. In addition to significant associations between emotional dysregulation and emotional eating in the student sample, negative affect and negative urgency were found to mediate the relationship between alexithymia and emotional eating. However, even though significant associations between emotional dysregulation and emotional eating were confirmed in the general population sample, different pathways emerged. Specifically, negative affect was the only significant mediator between alexithymia and emotional eating. Chapters Three and Four focus on whether simulating emotional dysregulation in an experimental setting directly affects food intake. Specifically, a novel method of inducing emotional confusion as an analogue of alexithymia is developed and piloted in Chapter Three, followed by a fully powered mood manipulation study in Chapter Four to assess food intake following the induction of positive, negative and emotionally confusing mood states. Compared to a control condition, food intake did not differ significantly across experimental mood conditions. Finally, in Chapter Five, the initial theoretical model described at the end of Chapter One is extended to include interoceptive awareness and feeling fat. Here, the ability to trust bodily sensations and the experience of feeling fat was found to significantly mediate the relationship between emotional dysregulation and emotional eating. The model is also extended to include negative urgency, with increased levels of alexithymia related to a reduction in trusting bodily sensations, which in turn increases the tendency to experience sensations of feeling fat, followed by reacting rashly to alleviate the associated feelings (negative urgency), and therefore, an increased propensity to engage in emotional eating. Overall, the research presented in this thesis takes the first steps in developing an inclusive theoretical model of emotional eating. Whilst the precise nature in which emotional dysregulation influences emotional eating remains unclear, the results of this thesis nevertheless supports the role of emotional dysregulation and has important implications for the development of interventions to aid weight loss/management.
published_date 2019-12-31T04:01:46Z
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score 11.017016

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