Emotional eating and eating psychopathology among non-eating-disordered women.

Abstract

A recent study (Arnow, Kenardy, & Agras, 1995, Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 15, 155-170) has reported on the development and preliminary validation of the Emotional Eating Scale (EES), a questionnaire measure of the tendency to eat in response to affective state. The EES showed high levels of validity among obese binge eaters, but there was no attempt to validate the measure among nonclinical groups. The present study assessed the validity of the EES among nonclinical women, in order to determine whether or not emotional eating is related to unhealthy eating characteristics among the general population. The participants were 51 women with no current or past eating disorder. Each completed the EES and the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). Validity of the EES was tested using measures of internal consistency and correlations with EDI scales. The EES scales showed a high level of internal consistency and specific associations with EDI scales (particularly Bulimia, Ineffectiveness, and Interpersonal Distrust). The normative scores for this population were substantially lower than among binge eaters, but similar to those found among other clinical groups. The EES has good levels of validity. It demonstrates that emotional eating is related to bulimic eating attitudes in the broader population, although issues of causality need to be considered. The EES may have a role in the early identification of eating problems in nonclinical groups. Its utility with other eating-disordered groups remains to be established, but there are potential roles in the targeting and evaluation of treatment.