Examining the Influence of Eating Behaviour on Depression, Stress and Well-being among College Students

Description

Page: 365-368

Tisha Gupta, Nithya Rose Baby, Neha Ahire, Shloka Shetty, Shrishti Singh, and Sharon Shulamite (Amity Institute of Behavioral and Allied Sciences, Amity University Mumbai, Maharashtra)

College students face serious academic, social, and lifestyle pressure that affects both their eating behaviour as well as mental health. This study analyses the influence of eating behaviour on stress, depression, and well-being among college students. A sample size of 191 full- time students of age 18-24 was assessed using standardized self-report measures: The Adult Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (AEBQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Warwick-Edinberg Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS). Review of literature displayed a strong relationship between unhealthy eating patterns (such as emotional eating, meal skipping, and fast-food obsession) and higher levels of stress and depression, as well as lower levels of well- being. Statistical analysis such as Pearson correlation and linear regression was used to evaluate these relationships. The correlation results showed that there was a positive relationship between eating behaviour and stress (r = 0.291, p < 0.01), especially with hunger (r = 0.181, p < 0.05) and food responsiveness (r = 0.153, p < 0.05). Linear regression showed that Enjoyment of Food was a significant negative predictor of depression (β = 0.246). Similarly, it positively predicted mental well-being (β = 0.233), though the overall model was marginally non-significant (p = 0.051, R² = 0.049). These findings highlight the need to promote mindful eating to reduce distress and boost resilience in college students and future research with larger, diverse samples and longitudinal methods is recommended.