How negative life events affect emotional eating in Chinese adolescents: moderated mediation model.

IF 3.9 3区医学 Q1 PSYCHIATRY

BJPsych Open Pub Date : 2025-06-27 DOI:10.1192/bjo.2025.63

Rong Tan, Tao Huang, Yiru Li, Yuhe Zhang, Xijin Li, Xuanxuan Lin, Zhenjiang Liao, Qiuping Huang

{"title":"How negative life events affect emotional eating in Chinese adolescents: moderated mediation model.","authors":"Rong Tan, Tao Huang, Yiru Li, Yuhe Zhang, Xijin Li, Xuanxuan Lin, Zhenjiang Liao, Qiuping Huang","doi":"10.1192/bjo.2025.63","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Background: Emotional eating, the tendency to eat in response to negative emotions, is rising among adolescents and linked to obesity and mental health issues. While negative life events contribute to emotional eating, the roles of self-control and social support remain unclear.Aims: This study examined the relationship between negative life events and emotional eating in adolescents, testing self-control as a mediator and perceived social support as a moderator.Method: A sample of 740 Chinese high school students (aged 14-18) completed validated measures of negative life events, self-control, perceived social support, and emotional eating. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, USA)and PROCESS macro for mediation/moderation effects.Results: Negative life events predicted higher emotional eating (β = 0.11, p < 0.01), while lower self-control mediated this relationship (β = -0.15, p < 0.001). Perceived social support moderated the association (β = -0.09, p < 0.05), weakening it among adolescents with stronger support.Conclusions: Negative life events increase emotional eating, but self-control and social support play key roles. Interventions targeting these factors may reduce emotional eating and improve adolescent well-being.","PeriodicalId":9038,"journal":{"name":"BJPsych Open","volume":"11 4","pages":"e131"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12247071/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"BJPsych Open","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2025.63","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHIATRY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Emotional eating, the tendency to eat in response to negative emotions, is rising among adolescents and linked to obesity and mental health issues. While negative life events contribute to emotional eating, the roles of self-control and social support remain unclear.

Aims: This study examined the relationship between negative life events and emotional eating in adolescents, testing self-control as a mediator and perceived social support as a moderator.

Method: A sample of 740 Chinese high school students (aged 14-18) completed validated measures of negative life events, self-control, perceived social support, and emotional eating. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, USA)and PROCESS macro for mediation/moderation effects.

Results: Negative life events predicted higher emotional eating (β = 0.11, p < 0.01), while lower self-control mediated this relationship (β = -0.15, p < 0.001). Perceived social support moderated the association (β = -0.09, p < 0.05), weakening it among adolescents with stronger support.

Conclusions: Negative life events increase emotional eating, but self-control and social support play key roles. Interventions targeting these factors may reduce emotional eating and improve adolescent well-being.

查看原文本刊更多论文

负性生活事件对青少年情绪性饮食的影响：有调节的中介模型。

背景：情绪化进食，即为了应对负面情绪而进食的倾向，在青少年中正在上升，并与肥胖和心理健康问题有关。虽然消极的生活事件会导致情绪化进食，但自我控制和社会支持的作用尚不清楚。目的：本研究考察了青少年消极生活事件与情绪性饮食之间的关系，测试了自我控制作为中介，感知社会支持作为调节。方法：740名中国高中生（14-18岁）完成了负面生活事件、自我控制、感知社会支持和情绪性饮食的有效测量。使用SPSS 25.0 （IBM Corp., Armonk, New York， USA）和PROCESS宏分析数据的中介/调节效应。结果：消极生活事件预测情绪性饮食增加（β = 0.11, p < 0.01），而较低的自我控制介导了这一关系（β = -0.15, p < 0.001）。感知到的社会支持调节了这种关联（β = -0.09, p < 0.05），在支持程度较高的青少年中，这种关联减弱。结论：消极生活事件增加情绪性进食，但自我控制和社会支持起关键作用。针对这些因素的干预可能会减少情绪性进食，提高青少年的幸福感。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

BJPsych Open Medicine-Psychiatry and Mental Health

CiteScore

6.30

自引率

3.70%

发文量

610

审稿时长

16 weeks

期刊介绍： Announcing the launch of BJPsych Open, an exciting new open access online journal for the publication of all methodologically sound research in all fields of psychiatry and disciplines related to mental health. BJPsych Open will maintain the highest scientific, peer review, and ethical standards of the BJPsych, ensure rapid publication for authors whilst sharing research with no cost to the reader in the spirit of maximising dissemination and public engagement. Cascade submission from BJPsych to BJPsych Open is a new option for authors whose first priority is rapid online publication with the prestigious BJPsych brand. Authors will also retain copyright to their works under a creative commons license.