Abstract
Food cravings have been associated with problematic eating behaviors, such as emotional eating. Late adolescence is an important developmental period to examine this association, as late adolescents have greater independence in food choices as well as potentially higher demands during a transitional period of their lives. Mechanisms underlying the association between food cravings and problematic eating remain unclear. This study examined whether experiential avoidance (EA) may be one possible mechanism mediating the association between higher levels of food cravings and problematic eating behaviors. Late adolescents (n = 174) completed measures assessing EA, food cravings, and three problematic eating behaviors: emotional eating, cognitive restraint, and uncontrolled eating. Height and weight were measured objectively to calculate body mass index (BMI). Food cravings were positively associated with emotional eating and mediated by EA. EA also significantly mediated the association between greater cognitive restraint and greater food cravings. No significant mediation was detected for food cravings and uncontrolled eating. Future research may consider EA as a treatment target in intervention strategies for late adolescents seeking to decrease emotional or restrained eating behaviors.
Highlights
Food cravings have been associated with problematic eating behaviors, such as overeating, emotional eating, binge eating, disordered eating, or higher weight status [1,2,3,4]
The present study extends prior research through the examination of experiential avoidance (EA) as a potential mechanism through which the experience of food cravings is associated with problematic eating behaviors among late adolescents
In the context of self-report measures used in the mediation analyses, higher reported food cravings were associated with lower AAQ-II scores, greater emotional eating (r = 0.17, p < 0.05), greater cognitive restraint (r = 0.23, p < 0.01), and greater uncontrolled eating (r = 0.29, p < 0.001)
Summary
Food cravings have been associated with problematic eating behaviors, such as overeating, emotional eating, binge eating, disordered eating, or higher weight status [1,2,3,4]. Specific mechanisms by which this association functions have not received much attention in the literature. This line of inquiry is important as it may aid in elucidating the complex association that exists between food cravings and problematic eating behaviors, and inform the development of novel interventions producing greater treatment effects. With this background in mind, the present study sought to examine one possible mechanism—experiential avoidance (EA)—by which the association between food cravings and problematic eating may exist among late adolescents.
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