The mediator role of coping styles in the relationship between perceived parenting styles and emotional eating behavior

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the mediating role of avoidance and compensatory coping styles in the relationship of perceived parenting styles towards emotional eating behavior in adult individuals. The sample of the study consists of 301 people, 204 women and 97 men. Young Parenting Scale (YEBÖ), Turkish Emotional Eating Scale (TDYÖ), Young-Rygh Avoidance Scale (YR-KÖ), Young Compensatory Scale (YTÖ) and Demographic Information Form were used to measure the variables in the research. According to the results obtained in the study, emotional eating behaviors differed significantly in terms of age, whether the father was alive and the Body Mass Index (BMI) variables. In addition, it was found that control behavior in the face of stimulus emotional eating sub-dimension had a significant difference according to marital and educational status variables. However, it was found that emotional eating was associated with perceived overprotective / anxious and over permissive / boundless parenting styles related to the mother and perceived pessimistic / worried and punitive parenting styles towards the father. It was found that there was a relationship between emotional eating, psychosomatism and distraction through activity avoidance coping style; status seeking, rebellion, egocentrism and intolerance to criticism compensatory coping styles. On the other hand as a result of the intermediary variable analysis performed, psychosomatism and distraction through activity avoidance coping style mediated the relationship between perceived overprotective / anxious parenting towards the mother and emotional eating, psychosomatizm avoidance coping style and intolerance to criticism compensatory coping styles mediated the relationship between perceived over permissive / boundless parenting towards the mother and emotional eating. Psychosomatizm avoidance coping style mediated the relationship between perceived pessimistic / worried parenting styles towards the father and emotional eating, psychosomatizm avoidance coping style and intolerance to criticism compensatory coping styles mediated the relationship between perceived punitive parenting styles towards the father and emotional eating. As a result, it was seen that perceived parenting styles towards mother and father predicted emotional eating behavior through avoidance and compensatory coping styles, coping styles (psychosomatizm and distraction through activity avoidance coping style, intolerance to criticism compensatory coping styles) have a mediating role in this relationship. Keywords: Emotional eating, perceived parenting styles, avoidance coping styles, compensating coping styles