Academic-Related Factors and Emotional Eating in Adolescents.

Abstract

Existing literature indicates a relationship between stress and emotional eating in adults, yet limited research has examined the impact of school-related stress on emotional eating in adolescents. This study investigated the influence of academic factors on emotional eating among minority adolescents. A survey was implemented among a sample of minority adolescents (N = 666) to investigate the relationship between emotional eating and 3 academic factors: academic self-esteem, grade point average (GPA), and academic worries. Forced-entry multiple linear regressions were used to test for relationships. Findings indicate that GPA, academic self-esteem, and academic worries were related to emotional eating scores in adolescents. There were no significant differences in academic factors between emotional eaters and nonemotional eaters. Additional research is needed to further elucidate the complex interaction between emotional eating behavior and academics.