Fear of COVID-19 Mediates the Relationship between Negative Emotional Reactivity and Emotional Eating

Dominte, Mădălina E. and Swami, Viren and Enea, Violeta (2022) Fear of COVID-19 Mediates the Relationship between Negative Emotional Reactivity and Emotional Eating. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology. ISSN 1467-9450

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Abstract

Recent studies have highlighted high levels of emotional eating during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but have not satisfactorily explained these changing eating patterns. Here, we tested one potential explanatory model broadly based on a biosocial model of emotional eating. Specifically, we examined the extent to which negative emotional reactivity was associated with emotional eating, as well as the mediating role of fear of COVID-19. A total of 474 women from Romania were asked to complete measures of emotional eating, negative emotional reactivity, and fear of COVID-19. Mediation analysis showed that higher negative emotional reactivity was significantly and directly associated with greater emotional eating. This direct relationship was also mediated by fear of COVID-19. These results highlight one possible route through which the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may have resulted in elevated rates of emotional eating, though further research is needed.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	Emotional eating, COVID-19, Emotional reactivity, Eating behaviour, Anxiety
Faculty:	COVID-19 Research Collection Faculty of Science & Engineering
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic User
Depositing User:	Symplectic User
Date Deposited:	20 Apr 2022 13:12
Last Modified:	31 May 2022 16:18
URI:	https://arro.anglia.ac.uk/id/eprint/707510

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