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Returning to emotional eating: the emotional eating scale psychometric properties and associations with body image flexibility and binge eating

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Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

This study tests the Emotional Eating Scale (EES) psychometric properties and correlates, and the moderator effect of body image flexibility on the association between emotional eating and binge eating.

Methods

The EES factorial structure was examined in female college students and women from the general population, through a principal component analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis. EES psychometric properties and moderation analyses were further conducted.

Results

The EES presented a three-factor structure—Depression, Anxiety and Anger—a good model fit, internal consistency, construct validity and temporal stability. EES was positively associated with general and eating psychopathology, binge eating, and negatively associated with mindfulness and body image flexibility. Body image flexibility moderated the association between emotional eating and binge eating.

Conclusions

Findings showed that EES is a valid measure of emotional eating, and clarified the association between emotional eating and binge eating moderated by body image flexibility.

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Acknowledgments

Research was supported by the author Cristiana Duarte PhD Grant (SFRH/BD/76858/2011) by FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology).

Conflict of interest

Cristiana Duarte declares that she has no conflict of interest. José Pinto-Gouveia declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee 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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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cognitive and Behavioural Centre for Research and Intervention (CINEICC), Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação, Universidade de Coimbra, Rua do Colégio Novo, Apartado 6153, 3001-802, Coimbra, Portugal

    Cristiana Duarte & José Pinto-Gouveia

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  1. Cristiana Duarte
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  2. José Pinto-Gouveia
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Correspondence to Cristiana Duarte.

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Duarte, C., Pinto-Gouveia, J. Returning to emotional eating: the emotional eating scale psychometric properties and associations with body image flexibility and binge eating. Eat Weight Disord 20, 497–504 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-015-0186-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-015-0186-z

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