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Stress appraisal prospectively predicts binge eating through increases in negative affect

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Abstract

Purpose

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies preliminarily support the transactional model of emotion regulation in eating disorders, such that heightened stress appraisal (i.e., the cognitive evaluation of an event’s demands) results in increased negative affect (NA) and subsequent binge eating (BE). However, the temporal relationships between these variables and the magnitude of stress appraisal that is clinically significant require clarification. The current study aimed to extend previous research by (1) examining the temporal relationship between stress appraisal, changes in NA, and BE using three timepoints, (2) exploring what magnitude of momentary stress appraisal results in clinically significant increases in NA and BE, and (3) characterizing what stressors are associated with clinically significant stress appraisal.

Methods

37 adult females completed an EMA protocol assessing momentary stressors, stress appraisal, NA, and BE over 2 week duration. Multilevel mediation models were used to test the study aims.

Results

Momentary increases in stress appraisal significantly predicted binge eating through increases in NA. Stress appraisal ratings of 0.50 SD higher relative to one’s average stress appraisal began to significantly predict the likelihood of BE through increases in NA, and the likelihood of BE occurrence increased with every 0.25 increments in momentary stress appraisal. Work/school stressors and interpersonal stressors were the most commonly endorsed stressors of clinically significant stress appraisal.

Conclusion

The current study supported the transactional model of emotion dysregulation in a binge eating sample and supports the use of momentary interventions at times of clinically significant stress appraisal to reduce BE risk.

Level of evidence

Level II, controlled trial without randomization.

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Funding

This work was supported by NEDA Feeding Hope Grant awarded to Adrienne Juarascio and by WELL Center Seed Fund Award to Paakhi Srivastava.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Weight Eating and Lifestyle Science (WELL Center), Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Paakhi Srivastava, Elizabeth W. Lampe, Megan L. Michael, Stephanie Manasse & Adrienne S. Juarascio

  2. Department of Psychology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Elizabeth W. Lampe & Adrienne S. Juarascio

Authors
  1. Paakhi Srivastava
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  2. Elizabeth W. Lampe
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  3. Megan L. Michael
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  4. Stephanie Manasse
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  5. Adrienne S. Juarascio
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paakhi Srivastava.

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Conflict of interest

No authors have any conflicts of interest to disclose.

Ethics approval

Both parent studies which collected data for the current study were approved by the Drexel University Institutional Review Board.

Human and animal rights

All procedures performed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional review board of Drexel University and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Participants provided informed consent at the baseline assessment for data collection and publication of de-identified data.

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Srivastava, P., Lampe, E.W., Michael, M.L. et al. Stress appraisal prospectively predicts binge eating through increases in negative affect. Eat Weight Disord 26, 2413–2420 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-020-01082-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-020-01082-4

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