Comparison of Emotion Regulation Strategies in University Students with and without Food Addiction

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of the present study is to compare the emotion regulation strategies in university students with and without food addiction.Material and Methods: 214 university students were included in the study. Each participant completed Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), Difficulties of Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and a sociodemographic form. The body mass index (BMI) of each participant was calculated by dividing the body weight by the square of the height in meters.Results: %18.7 of the participants (n=40) met the diagnostic criteria of food addiction according to the YFAS. The frequency of food addiction in male participants was statistically higher than female participants (p=0.006). Non-acceptance, strategies and impulses subscales scores of DERS were statistically higher in participants with food addiction than those without food addiction (p=0.005; p<0.001 and p=0.048 respectively). There were correlations between number of food addiction criteria and strategies subscale score and DERS total score (r=.41 and r=.36 respectively).Conclusion: It can be said that individuals with food addiction experience more difficulty in emotion regulation