Examining Indirect and Direct Effects of Risk and Resilience on the Relation Between Perceived Discrimination and Eating Disorder Symptoms in Ethnic Minority American Women.

Direct relationships between perceived discrimination and eating pathology in ethnic minorities are well-documented. However, theoretical work examining unique risk and resilience factors that strengthen or weaken the relation between these constructs in ethnic minorities is lacking. The current study aims to address this gap by incorporating stress-process and tripartite frameworks to examine social and personal resources as they relate to perceived discrimination and eating pathology. In a sample of Black, Asian, and Latine women (N = 296, M age = 30.82), social support did not mediate the relationship between perceived discrimination and eating pathology. A significant interaction effect was observed for thin-ideal internalization strengthening the relation between perceived discrimination and negative emotional eating. Thin-ideal internalization moderated the relation between perceived discrimination and negative emotional eating in Latine Women, and disordered eating in Black Women. Overall, findings suggest ethnic minority Women have both personal and social resources that may influence the strength of effect on the relation between perceived discrimination on eating pathology.

Military sexual trauma, combat trauma, and disordered eating among United States veterans: An exploration of underlying mechanisms.

Military sexual trauma (MST) and combat trauma (CT) survivors experience disproportionate risk for disordered eating. A survey of MST, CT, disordered eating, trauma-related self-blame, emotion regulation challenges, body dissatisfaction, and dissociation among military personnel with a history of military-related trauma was conducted. These survey-based cross-sectional data were analyzed via parallel mediation analyses and Analyses of Covariance (ANCOVA). Six parallel mediation analyses were conducted examining trauma-related self-blame, emotion regulation challenges, body dissatisfaction, and dissociation as mediators linking MST and CT, separately, with purging, restricting, and bingeing. ANCOVAs were also performed to examine differences in levels of bingeing, restriction, and purging among people exposed to MST, CT, both MST and CT, and neither. MST and CT exposure was indirectly related to bingeing via emotion regulation challenges. MST and CT was also indirectly related to both restriction and purging via emotion regulation challenges and trauma-related self-blame. Dissociation and body dissatisfaction were not significant mediators in any model. Participants endorsed high levels of disordered eating. Individuals exposed to both MST and CT reported greater bingeing, restricting, and purging than individuals exposed to either CT, MST, or neither. Findings highlight the nuanced symptoms that may increase risk for disordered eating among MST and/or CT survivors. Future treatment research should explore how addressing emotion regulation and trauma-related self-blame among individuals with MST and/or CT may help address disordered eating. Implications and future directions for this area of research are discussed.

The relation between questionnaire-measured self-reported emotional eating and disordered eating behaviors: A meta-analysis of nearly three decades of research.

Extensive research exists on the association between self-reported emotional eating (EE) and disordered eating (DE) behaviors. Heterogeneity exists by type (e.g., unidimensional vs. multidimensional) and valence (e.g., negative vs. positive) of self-reported EE, and no previous meta-analyses have examined the association between self-reported EE and DE behaviors. A total of 67 studies (N = 26,289; 43 reporting relations in one model, and 24 reporting relations in more than one model) met inclusion criteria; ranges for age and publication date were 18.0-61.8 years old and 1995 to 2022. Five models quantified relations between DE behaviors and 1) broad negative EE, 2) EE in response to depression, 3) EE in response to anger and anxiety, 4) EE in response to boredom, and 5) EE in response to positive emotions. Using random-effects models, pooled Cohen's d effect sizes suggested small, positive relations between DE behaviors and self-reported broad negative EE (d = 0.40, p < 0.001), EE-depression (d = 0.41, p < 0.001), EE-anger/anxiety (d = 0.35, p < 0.001), and EE-boredom (d = 0.38, p < 0.001). A significant, but very small, positive relation was observed between DE behaviors and self-reported EE-positive (d = 0.08, p = 0.01). Subgroup analyses suggested a medium, positive relation between self-reported broad negative EE and binge eating (d = 0.53, p < 0.001) and a small, positive relation between self-reported broad negative EE and dietary restraint (d = 0.20, p < 0.001). Significant heterogeneity was identified across all models except for the EE-boredom and DE behaviors model. Higher BMI, but not age, clinical status, or type of DE behavior strengthened the positive relation between self-reported broad negative EE and DE behaviors. Findings support previous research suggesting that negative and positive EE are distinct constructs, with negatively valenced EE being more closely associated with DE behaviors, especially binge eating.

Disordered eating and emotional eating in Arab, middle eastern, and north African American women.

Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African (A-MENA) American women are often subject to intersectional discrimination, and they have also not been traditionally recognized as a distinct racial group in disordered eating literature. No study to date has provided descriptive information on disordered and emotional eating A-MENA American women, nor has examined perceptions of widely used measurements of eating pathology in this population. The current study generated descriptive information among A-MENA women on two widely used measures of eating pathology, the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and the Emotional Eating Scale (EES). Participants (N = 244) were A-MENA adult women were recruited via social media and snowball sampling. Qualitative findings provide potential sociocultural predictors of disordered eating that should be further explored, such as bicultural identity and family pressures/comments toward appearance. Secondly, themes from the EES-R indicate adding emotion of shame and considering identity-related stress. The current study provides prevalence data and future directions of research on widely used eating pathology and appearance attitude measurements for A-MENA American women.

Psychological flexibility prospectively predicts COVID-19 PPE use across a two-month interval.

Perceived susceptibility, psychological flexibility and health behaviors (PPE use, social distancing) were measured at two time points spaced 2 months apart during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in the U.S.A (Time 1 April 2020; Time 2 June 2020). Demographic variables were also collected. Data from 151 Mturk workers indicated that Time 1 psychological flexibility significantly predicted PPE use and social distancing. The effect sizes were substantial. Perceived susceptibility was not a significant predictor. Psychological flexibility messaging and interventions could be an important way to increase the likelihood of people performing health protective behaviors to better constrain the continuing COVID-19 outbreak.

Facial EMG startle response and self-report reactions after exposure to severely underweight and severely obese body images in individuals with disordered eating: An examination of motivational responses.

Examining appetitive and aversive responses toward body image stimuli of those with disordered eating may illuminate motivational systems unique to eating pathology. The current study extended previous literature by examining self-report and startle responses to a range of body sizes. In this cross-sectional design, female, adult participants (n = 45) were sorted into disordered eating (DE; n = 22) and healthy control (HC; n = 23) groups based on Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire global scores that were one standard deviation above or below normative values. Participants viewed eight computer-generated female body pictures from each group: severely underweight (BMI < 16.0), average (BMI 18.5-24.99), and severely obese (BMI > 40.0). Startle responses and self-reported valence and anxiety scores were collected to assess implicit and explicit reactions. 2 × 3 ANCOVA/ANOVAs were used to examine startle responses and self-report differences between groups, in response to image types. Results indicated startle responses did not differ between groups. There was a significant main effect for body picture type (p < .001), after controlling for psychotropic medication. Startle responses were higher for severely underweight body images compared to severely obese body images, although non-significant at post-hoc. The DE group reported higher levels of anxiety and sadness when viewing body images compared to the HC group. Average bodies were rated as less anxiety provoking and more positive than severely underweight and obese bodies. Group differences in anxiety and valence scores could be due to more maladaptive cognitions related to fear of weight gain among people with disordered eating.

Mindfulness facets differentially relate to self-reported negative and positive emotional eating types in treatment-seeking adults with overweight/obesity.

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness is a meaningful therapeutic target in the treatment of emotional eating in adults with overweight/obesity. Descriptive research mapping relations between mindfulness facets and emotional eating types in treatment-seeking adults with overweight/obesity is needed. METHODS: Cross-sectional relations between mindfulness facets (i.e., acting with awareness, describe, non-judgment, non-reactive, and observe; Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Short Form) and emotional eating types (i.e., self-reported negative and positive emotional eating; Emotional Eating Scale-Revised, Emotional Appetite Questionnaire) were examined in a treatment-seeking sample of adults with overweight/obesity (N = 63). RESULTS: Significant bivariate correlations revealed negative relations between mindfulness facets and emotional eating types. Multiple regressions revealed that higher describe (ß = - 0.42, p = 0.004) mindfulness was associated with lower self-reported emotional eating-anger/anxiety; higher non-reactive (ß = - 0.31, p = 0.01) and non-judgment (ß = - 0.28, p = 0.02) mindfulness were associated with lower self-reported emotional eating-depression; and higher non-judgment (ß = 0.26, p = 0.04) mindfulness was associated with higher self-reported emotional eating-positive. CONCLUSIONS: Describe, non-judgment, and non-reactive mindfulness were uniquely and significantly associated with eating in response to negative and positive emotions. Results suggest the potential need for intervention programs to be sensitive to the multidimensional nature of mindfulness in the treatment of distinct types of emotional eating in adults with overweight/obesity. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: V, cross-sectional descriptive study.

Eating when depressed, anxious, bored, or happy: An examination in treatment-seeking adults with overweight/obesity.

Emotions that differ in valence are uniquely associated with eating. In our previous study with an online sample of adults with overweight/obesity, eating in response to depression was the type of emotional eating most closely associated with negative psychosocial correlates (Braden et al., 2018). The current study extended this research by examining associations between emotional eating types (eating in response to depression, anxiety, boredom, happiness) and psychological correlates among treatment-seeking adults. The present study was a secondary analysis of adults (N = 63; 96.8% female) with overweight/obesity and self-identified emotional eating who completed a baseline assessment for a behavioral weight loss intervention. Emotional eating in response to depression (EE-depression), anxiety/anger (EE-anxiety/anger), and boredom (EE-boredom) were assessed with the revised Emotional Eating Scale (EES-R), and positive emotional eating (EE-positive) was assessed with the positive emotions subscale of the Emotional Appetite Questionnaire (EMAQ). The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), Binge Eating Scale (BES), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9; depressive symptoms) were also administered. Frequencies showed the most endorsed emotional eating type was EE-depression (44.4%; n = 28). Four multiple regression analyses examined associations between emotional eating (EE-depression, EE-anxiety/anger, EE-boredom, and EE-positive) and dependent variables (EDE-Q, BES, DERS, and PHQ-9). Results showed that depression was the emotional eating type most closely related to disordered eating, binge eating, and depressive symptoms. Eating in response to anxiety was closely related to emotion regulation difficulties. Positive emotional eating was related to less depressive symptoms. Exploratory analyses showed that lower levels of positive emotional eating were related to higher depressive symptoms among adults with greater emotion regulation difficulties. Researchers and clinicians may consider tailoring weight loss treatment based on unique emotions that trigger eating.

Dietary changes in an acceptance-based weight loss pilot intervention study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pre-post changes in dietary intake and the possible role of emotional eating (EE) as a mediator of dietary changes in a novel behavioral weight loss intervention (Live FREE). DESIGN: Secondary analysis of an open label pilot study. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-nine adults with overweight/obesity and EE. INTERVENTION: Live FREE is a 16-week group-based program in which participants learn emotional regulation skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy followed by traditional behavioral weight loss techniques. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Dietary intake and EE were measured at baseline and post-treatment with the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Assessment Tool and the depression subscale of the revised Emotional Eating Scale. ANALYSIS: Paired sample t-tests and mediation for repeated measures designs. RESULTS: Consumption of calories (t(33) = 5.31, p < .001), saturated fat (t(33) = 5.25, p < .001), and added sugar (t(33) = 4.44, p < .001) decreased from pre-post-treatment. EE change mediated the effect of the intervention on change in saturated fat intake pre-post-treatment, B = 6.16, BootSE = 2.47, 95 % CI (1.53 to 11.37), but did not mediate change in caloric or added sugar intake. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Participants reported improvement in caloric, saturated fat, and added sugar intake. Improvement in EE may be closely related to decreasing saturated fat consumption. (200).

An Open Trial Examining Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills and Behavioral Weight Loss for Adults With Emotional Eating and Overweight/Obesity.

Third-wave cognitive behavioral interventions for weight loss have shown promise. However, sparse data exists on the use of dialectical behavior therapy for weight loss. Adapted dialectical behavior therapy skills programs may be especially well suited for adults who engage in emotional eating and are seeking weight loss. Dialectical behavior therapy is skills-based, shares theoretical links to emotional eating, and is effective in treating binge eating. The current study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of Live FREE: FReedom from Emotional Eating, a 16-session group-based intervention. A total of 87 individuals expressed interest in the program, and 39 adults with overweight/obesity (BMI ≥25) and elevated self-reported emotional eating were enrolled. Live FREE targeted emotional eating in the initial sessions 1-9, and sessions 10-16 focused primarily on behavioral weight loss skills while continuing to reinforce emotion regulation training. Assessments were administered at baseline, posttreatment, and 6-month follow up. Enrolled participants were primarily female (97.4%) and Caucasian (91.7%). Treatment retention was strong with participants attending an average of 14.3 sessions and 89.7% of participants completing the intervention. On average, participants lost 3.00 kg at posttreatment, which was maintained at follow-up. Intent-to-treat analyses showed improvements in key outcome variables (self-reported emotional eating, BMI, emotion regulation) over the course of the intervention. Combining dialectical behavior therapy skills with conventional behavioral weight loss techniques may be an effective intervention for adults with overweight/obesity who report elevated emotional eating.

Impact of military culture and experiences on eating and weight-related behavior.

Disordered eating behaviors and obesity are becoming increasingly common among United States military personnel. However, little research has explored the role of the military environment as it may influence the development of disordered eating among personnel. The present qualitative analysis examined beliefs about how military experiences affected eating and weight-related behaviors. Military personnel who served within the last year and a year or more ago (n = 250) were recruited using Amazon's Mechanical Turk (mTurk). Data included in the present study consisted of participant responses to three open-ended questions, analyzed by means of content and thematic analysis. Analyses yielded eight themes: eating extremely quickly, strict mealtime regimens, the pressure to "make weight," food insecurity, difficulty after military, food quality/content, overeating behavior, and military superior maltreatment. The current study provides a preliminary examination of the role of the military culture and experiences in the development of unhealthy eating and weight-related behaviors and offers suggestions for future research and interventions.

Emotion Regulation Difficulties Strengthen Relationships Between Perceived Parental Feeding Practices and Emotional Eating: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: People with emotional eating (EE) may experience weight gain and obesity, eating disorder psychopathology, and emotion dysregulation. Limited research has examined experiences in childhood that may be associated with EE in adulthood. Perceived parental feeding practices and emotion regulation difficulties were examined as correlates of negative and positive EE in adulthood. METHODS: A cross-sectional study using an online community sample of adults (N = 258) examined self-reported negative (Emotional Eating Scale-Revised; EE-anger/anxiety, EE-boredom, and EE-depression) and positive (Emotion Appetite Questionnaire; EE-positive) EE, perceived parental feeding practices (Child Feeding Questionnaire), and emotion regulation difficulties (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale). RESULTS: Moderation analyses calculated in PROCESS macro examined emotion regulation difficulties as a moderator of relationships between perceived parental feeding practices and EE. Across all models tested, age, BMI, and gender were entered as covariates. Higher perceptions of parental control (monitoring and restriction) of unhealthy eating behaviors and pressure to eat were more strongly associated with EE-anger/anxiety and EE-positive when emotion regulation difficulties were high. Higher perceptions of parental restriction of unhealthy eating behaviors and pressure to eat were more strongly associated with higher EE-boredom when emotion regulation difficulties were high. No significant interactions between perceived parental feeding practices and emotion regulation difficulties emerged in relation to EE-depression. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived controlling parental feeding practices and emotion regulation difficulties may explain meaningful variance in negative and positive EE in adulthood.

Understanding the relationship between negative emotional eating and binge eating: The moderating effects of acting with awareness and non-reactive mindfulness.

OBJECTIVES: Negative emotional eating and binge eating are positively related, occur in diverse populations, and may be driven by similar mechanisms. Mindfulness facets such as acting with awareness, describe, non-judgement, non-reactive, and observe may moderate the relationship between these maladaptive eating phenotypes. METHOD: A cross-sectional study assessed emotional eating-depression (Emotional Eating Scale-Revised, depression subscale), trait mindfulness facets (Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire-Short Form), and binge eating severity (Binge Eating Scale) in adults (N = 258). RESULTS: Emotional eating-depression was less strongly associated with binge eating severity in participants with higher acting with awareness mindfulness. Emotional eating-depression was more strongly associated with binge eating severity in participants with higher non-reactive mindfulness. CONCLUSIONS: Acting with awareness and non-reactive mindfulness may be important treatment targets in concurrent presentations of emotional eating-depression and binge eating.

Emotion regulation mediates relationships between perceived childhood invalidation, emotional reactivity, and emotional eating.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is informed by the biosocial model which suggests that emotional sensitivity and childhood invalidation interact to influence emotion dysregulation, leading to behavioral disorders. Although adapted DBT interventions have resulted in improved emotional eating, little research has been conducted to examine whether key aspects of the biosocial model apply to emotional eating. Adults (N = 258) were enrolled via Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Three separate mediation analyses were performed using Hayes' SPSS macro. Results showed that emotion regulation difficulties mediated the relationships between biosocial variables (i.e. perceived maternal and paternal invalidation and emotional reactivity) and emotional eating.

Emotion regulation difficulties interact with negative, not positive, emotional eating to strengthen relationships with disordered eating: An exploratory study.

Disordered eating includes core eating disorder symptoms present in diverse populations. The extant literature has focused on associations between negative emotional eating and disordered eating to the exclusion of positive emotional eating. Emotion regulation may help explain relationships between emotional eating and disordered eating. Emotion regulation difficulties was examined as a moderator of relationships between negative and positive emotional eating and disordered eating including dietary restraint, eating, weight, and shape concerns, and global scores of disordered eating, a general index of disordered eating. A cross-sectional study was employed using a university student population in the United States. Participants completed surveys assessing negative (Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire; Emotional Appetite Questionnaire) and positive (Emotional Appetite Questionnaire) emotional eating, emotion regulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale), and disordered eating (Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire). Moderation analyses were calculated with emotion regulation difficulties as the moderator of relationships between negative and positive emotional eating and disordered eating. Across two separate measures of negative emotional eating, higher negative emotional eating was associated with higher weight concerns and global scores of disordered eating when emotion regulation difficulties was average and increased (+1 SD above average). Higher positive emotional eating was associated with lower dietary restraint and global scores of disordered eating when emotion regulation difficulties was decreased (-1 SD below average). Emotion regulation difficulties strengthened relationships between negative, not positive, emotional eating and disordered eating. Research and clinical implications for the contribution of emotional eating and emotion regulation on disordered eating were discussed.

Resting state heart rate variability in clinical and subthreshold disordered eating: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Research has demonstrated mixed results regarding the direction of the association between vagal activation and disordered eating. The current meta-analysis examined studies testing the link between resting-state heart rate variability indices of vagal activation (vmHRV), and both clinical and subthreshold disordered eating. METHOD: A systematic search of the literature resulted in the inclusion of studies that were correlational (associations between HRV and disordered eating symptoms) and that examined group differences (e.g., control group vs. disordered eating group), for a total of 36 samples. RESULTS: Findings indicated a small but reliable association of vmHRV with disordered eating, r = 0.12, indicating greater vagal activation in individuals with disordered eating compared to those with little or no disordered eating behavior. Moderation analyses identified predictors of the vmHRV/disordered eating association. Bulimia nervosa was found to have a large, positive effect size with vmHRV, r = 0.60, which was significantly greater than all other types of disordered eating, Q T = 10.74, p = .047. Compared to subthreshold disordered eating, clinical eating disorders demonstrated significant, persistent increased vagal activation with a medium, reliable effect size, r = 25, QT = 3.94, p = .045. CONCLUSION: These insights contribute to an improved understanding of the pathophysiology in disordered eating.

OBJETIVO: La investigación ha demostrado resultados mixtos sobre la dirección de la asociación entre la activación vagal y la conducta alimentaria anormal. El presente metaanálisis examinó los estudios que prueban la relación entre los índices de variabilidad de activación vagal de la frecuencia cardíaca en estado de reposo (vmHRV) y la conducta alimentaria anormal tanto clínica como subclínica. MÉTODO: Una búsqueda sistemática de la literatura resultó en la inclusión de estudios que eran correlacionales (asociaciones entre HRV y síntomas de conductas alimentarias anormales) y que examinaron las diferencias grupales (por ejemplo, grupo control versus grupo de conductas alimentarias anormales), para un total de 36 muestras. RESULTADOS: Los resultados indican una asociación pequeña pero confiable de vmHRV con conductas alimentarias anormales, r = 0,12, lo que indica una mayor activación vagal en individuos con conductas alimentarias anormales en comparación con aquellos con poca o ninguna conducta alimentaria anormal. Los análisis de moderación identificaron predictores de la asociación vmHRV/conducta alimentaria anormal. Se encontró que la bulimia nervosa (BN) tenía un tamaño de efecto positivo, grande con vmHRV, r = 0.60, que era significativamente mayor que todos los otros tipos de conductas alimentarias anormales, QT = 10.74, p = .047. En comparación con las conductas alimentarias anormales subclínicas, los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria clínicos demostraron una activación vagal aumentada significativa y persistente con un tamaño de efecto medio y confiable, r = 25, QT = 3.94, p = .045. CONCLUSIÓN: Estas ideas contribuyen a una mejor comprensión de la fisiopatología en las conductas alimentarias anormales.

Negative and positive emotional eating uniquely interact with ease of activation, intensity, and duration of emotional reactivity to predict increased binge eating.

Binge eating is present in obesity and clinical eating disorder populations and positively associated with poor health outcomes. Emotional eating may be related to binge eating, but relationships with emotional reactivity remain unexplored. The present study examined the relationships between negative and positive emotional eating and emotional reactivity in predicting binge eating. A cross-sectional study was employed using an online community sample in the United States. Participants (N = 258) completed surveys assessing negative (Emotional Eating Scale-Revised, depression subscale) and positive emotional eating (Emotional Appetite Questionnaire), negative and positive emotional reactivity (Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale), and binge eating (Binge Eating Scale). Six moderation analyses were calculated with negative and positive emotional reactivity (ease of activation, intensity, and duration) as moderators of the relationship between negative and positive emotional eating, respectively, and binge eating. Increased negative emotional eating was associated with increased binge eating when duration of negative emotional reactivity was 1 standard deviation above average (p < .001), but at 1 standard deviation below average (p < .001), increased negative emotional eating was associated with decreased binge eating. Increased positive emotional eating was associated with increased binge eating when intensity (p < .01) of positive emotional reactivity was 1 standard deviation above average and when activation (p < .05) of positive emotional reactivity was slightly above 1 standard deviation above average. Increased positive emotional eating was associated with decreased BE when intensity of positive emotional reactivity was 1 standard deviation below (p < .05) average. Emotional reactivity may uniquely impact the relationship between emotional eating and binge eating. Research and clinical implications for the contribution of negative and positive emotional eating and emotional reactivity on binge eating are discussed.

Self-reported emotional eating is not related to greater food intake: results from two laboratory studies.

Objective: Despite widespread use of emotional eating self-report measures, the validity of these measures has been questioned. Most of this research has focused on the validity of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) as opposed to the Emotional Eating Scale (EES). The current paper describes two experimental studies that examined associations between self-reported emotional eating and emotional eating measured in the laboratory. To address previous design limitations, the current studies used highly palatable foods, effective mood induction methods, and the EES, in addition to the DEBQ. Design: In two samples of college students, participants were randomised to a neutral or negative mood induction. Main Outcome Measures: The traditional DEBQ and the original and revised versions of the EES were used to measure self-reported emotional eating. Emotional eating was assessed in the laboratory using a bogus taste test. Subjects were asked to taste various foods, and food intake was measured. Results: In both samples, self-reported emotional eating using the DEBQ and EES was unrelated to laboratory measured emotional eating (i.e. food consumed during the bogus taste test). Conclusion: Future research in this area would benefit from using diverse samples and development of novel methods of assessing emotional eating.

Emotion regulation difficulties and impaired working memory interact to predict boredom emotional eating.

Emotional eating (EE), or eating in response to emotions, is related to depression, binge eating, and weight gain. Emotion regulation difficulties are a risk factor for EE. Working memory deficits may also be a risk factor for EE, as working memory is an important cognitive factor in emotion regulation. The current study is a secondary analysis that examined whether working memory moderated the relationship between emotion regulation and emotional eating. A college student sample completed measures of EE in response to depression, boredom, and anxiety/anger (Emotional Eating Scale), emotion regulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale) and a working memory task (AOSPAN). Moderated regression analyses were conducted. Conditional moderation was observed, such that greater emotion regulation difficulties were associated with boredom EE, when working memory was one standard deviation (SD) below average. Moderation analyses were not significant when examining associations between working memory, emotion regulation difficulties, and depression and anxiety EE. Findings suggest that the correlates of boredom EE may be different than depression and anxiety/anger EE. Although the current study was cross-sectional, it is possible that individuals with poorer working memory and emotion regulation difficulties, especially in tandem, may be at increased risk for boredom EE.