The occurrence of traumatic experiences in early life is associated with increased vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. The objective of this study is to integrate childhood trauma (CT) and...Show moreThe occurrence of traumatic experiences in early life is associated with increased vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. The objective of this study is to integrate childhood trauma (CT) and emotional eating (EE) with anxiety to show how implementing tailored treatment in standard therapy benefits overall health. This study is the first of its kind to investigate these variables. Three research questions are explored, all using regression analysis: first, is there an association between CT and EE in healthy controls (no diagnosis of anxiety or depression) and with diagnosed anxiety, second, what role does anxiety play in EE and what is the moderating effect of anxiety on CT and EE. The third investigates the five subtypes of childhood trauma (emotional, sexual, physical abuse, emotional and physical neglect) and its association with EE. The population was taken from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), a total of 1391 participants were included with either a lifetime diagnosed anxiety disorder or healthy controls. There was a significant positive association between CT and EE when controlled for anxiety. EE was higher in participants with an anxiety disorder relative to controls. Emotional abuse had the strongest association with EE, physical abuse had no significant association. The findings provide evidence that risk groups with childhood trauma and emotional eating would benefit from tailored interventions such as mindfulness, emotional regulation and dialectal behaviour therapy. Future research is recommended to investigate factors such as gender and depression to understand the extent of symptomology and ensure successful treatment.Show less
Abstract Background: Distraction and emotions have been proven to affect eating behavior. Design: In this online study, 120 participants were randomly assigned to one of three distraction...Show moreAbstract Background: Distraction and emotions have been proven to affect eating behavior. Design: In this online study, 120 participants were randomly assigned to one of three distraction conditions whilst eating lunch, after which a covert snacking period was implemented. Lastly, participants filled out a subset of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire on emotional eating. Research questions: With this experiment I investigated whether distracted eating increases subsequent consumption (H1), and whether emotional eating moderates that relationship (H2). Results: Distracted eating did not increase subsequent snacking, and the distraction conditions did not significantly differ from one another (H1). Emotional eating did not moderate this relationship (H2). Conclusion: Neither distracted eating or emotional eating (as a moderator) showed a significant impact on subsequent eating, and limitations concerning the design and sample of the study and alternative explanations are discussed.Show less
