Basic psychological needs and emotional eating: Uncertainity intolerance, perfectionism and emotional regulation

Even though emotional eating is not included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as yet, it is associated with many psychopathologies, particularly eating disorders. Hence, it is important to determine the effects of the variables that may lead to emotional eating behaviour, such as basic psychological need satisfaction and thwarting, adaptive/maladaptive perfectionism, intolerance of uncertainty, and difficulties in emotional regulation. The present study first adapted the Eating and Appraisal due to Emotions and Stress questionnaire to Turkish, and the adapted questionnaire conducted on 1201 individuals was found to be valid and reliable. A total of 1015 individuals participated in the main study. Correlations, independent groups t-tests, and path analysis were conducted. The path analyses conducted individually on satisfaction and thwarting of basic emotional needs revealed that the latter served as a predictor of intolerance of uncertainty and maladaptive perfectionism, both predicted difficulties in emotional regulation, which, in turn, predicted emotional eating and body mass index (BMI), indicating that thwarting of basic emotional needs may serve as a risk factor for emotional eating and BMI. Satisfaction of basic emotional needs, on the other hand, was found to predict intolerance of uncertainty and adaptive perfectionism, both predicted difficulties in emotional regulation, which, in turn, served as the predictor of emotional eating and BMI, showing that satisfaction of basic emotional needs may function as a protective factor. Upon discussion of the findings of the present study in the light of the relevant literature, recommendations were made for future research. KEYWORDS: Emotional Eating, Basic Psychological Emotional Needs, Intolerance of Uncertanity, Perfectionism