The role of belief in controlling internal states in the effects of anxiety level on eating behaviour

This study investigates the relationships between university students' anxiety levels, eating attitudes, and their belief in controlling internal states. The research was designed using a relational survey model and employed a quantitative approach. Data were collected online between February and April 2025 via a self-report questionnaire and analyzed based on valid responses from 528 university students. The data were obtained using the Burns Depression Checklist, the Eating Attitudes Test Short Form– 26 (EAT-26), the Belief in Controlling Internal States Scale, and a Demographic Information Form. All scales were found to be valid and reliable, and their structures were confirmed through factor analysis. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 26 software. Based on the Shapiro-Wilk and Levene tests, the data were determined not to be normally distributed; therefore, non-parametric statistical methods were applied. The study tested correlational hypotheses to examine the relationships among variables, regression hypotheses to investigate predictive power, and comparative hypotheses to explore differences based on demographic characteristics. The hypotheses were tested statistically, and the results revealed significant relationships and predictive effects between the variables