The Relationship of Eating Patterns with Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Psychopathology in Obesity Patients

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to examine the relationship between eating styles (emotional eating, external eating, and restrained eating), emotion regulation difficulties, and psychopathological conditions in indi viduals with obesity. Given the strong association between pathological eating behaviors—such as emo tional eating and binge eating disorder—and psychological factors like depression, anxiety, and stress, this study explores how these interactions contribute to obesity. Understanding these relationships may provide valuable insights for developing more effective intervention strategies in obesity treatment.

Methods: This study included obese patients, demographically matched controls recruited from a univer sity hospital outpatient clinic, and social media announcements. Participants aged 18-55 with sufficient cognitive ability to complete assessments were included, while those with severe psychopathology or substance misuse were excluded. Data were collected using the Dutch eating behavior questionnaire, the difficulties in emotion regulation scale, and the symptom checklist-90-revised. Ethical approval was obtained, and all participants gave informed consent.

Results: Obese individuals showed significantly higher emotional eating, emotion regulation difficulties, and psychological distress than controls. Emotional eating was positively correlated with impulse regu lation difficulties, depression, anxiety, and phobic anxiety. Regression analysis identified depression and phobic anxiety as key predictors of emotional eating, emphasizing the impact of psychological distress on eating behaviors.

Conclusion: The study reveals the exacerbation of symptoms in obese individuals during emotional dis tress and highlights the role of emotion regulation difficulties in the worsening of eating behaviors.

Cite this article as: Polat I, Kızılateş-Evin G, Hun Gökçe S, et al. The relationship of eating patterns with emotion regulation difficulties and psychopathology in obesity patients. Neuropsychiatr Invest. 2025, 63, 0012, doi:10.5152/NeuropsychiatricInvest.2025.25012.