Association between Emotional Eating, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Emotional Regulation, and Attachment Styles among Emerging Adults

Description

Page: 189-194

Sakshi Purohit, Bhawna Sharma, and Abhiram M Ajay (Department of Clinical Psychology, JSS Medical College, JSS AHER, Mysuru, Karnataka)

Emotional eating is characterized by eating in response to negative emotions, often functioning as a maladaptive coping mechanism. This study seeks to deepen understanding of these complex interrelations among emerging adults, addressing critical research gaps and highlighting the multifaceted influences of gender, adverse childhood experiences, emotional regulation, and attachment styles on emotional eating. The study examines emotional eating across sociodemographic factors, assess the interrelations between adverse childhood experiences, emotional regulation, attachment styles, and emotional eating, and identifies these variables as predictors of emotional eating. This quantitative, cross-sectional study involved 387 participants aged 18-27 from the states of Karnataka and Kerala. Data collection included socio-demographic details, the Emotional Eater Questionnaire, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and Adult Attachment Scale. Using JMP Statistical Discovery 17.2 software, descriptive analysis (means & SDs) and inferential statistics (t-tests, Pearson’s correlation, & multiple regression) were conducted to examine predictors of emotional eating, focusing on adverse childhood experiences, emotional regulation, and attachment styles. Gender was found to be significantly associated with emotional eating, with females reporting higher emotional eating scores than males, and adverse childhood experiences showed a strong positive correlation with emotional eating. Multiple linear regression analysis explained 51.2% of the variance in emotional eating, highlighting the significant predictive roles of gender, socioeconomic status, adverse childhood experiences, attachment styles, and cognitive appraisal. Emotional eating in emerging adults is profoundly shaped by adverse childhood experiences, emotional regulation strategies, attachment styles, and gender differences, underscoring the critical need for holistic, evidence-based interventions to mitigate its influence.