The discriminative role of emotion regulation and impulsivity in different unhealthy eating patterns

Apart from important role of unhealthy eating patterns on eating-related problems (i.e. obesity and eating disorders), the underlying processes of such eating patterns are not fully understood. This study aimed to examine the role of emotion regulation and impulsivity in unhealthy eating patterns.
In this study which was carried out with a correlation method, the adult female (no=347) from Tehran completed the self-reported inventories. Dutch eating behavior questionnaire (DEBQ), difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS), and Barratt impulsivity scale (BIS-11) were used as measuring tools. Data was analyzed using Pearson correlational analysis and multiple regression analysis.
The relationship between restrained eating and emotion regulation was significant (P These findings highlight the importance of emotion regulation as a key risk factor in unhealthy eating patterns. Moreover, the restrictive eating patterns and binge eating patterns differ each other in terms of impulsivity. Treatment interventions must address the emotion regulation and include the strategies to cope with impulsivity.