The effects of sadness and difficulties in emotion regulation on emotional eating in individuals with exercise addiction: An experimental study

The present study aimed to examine the effects of sadness and difficulties in emotion regulation on emotional eating in individuals with exercise addiction. The first part of the study recruited 587 participants from exercisers. The sample for the second part of the study consisted of 85 exercisers. In the study, an experimental method of observing food choices following a mood induction procedure was used. Also, the demographic information form, the Exercise Dependence Scale-21, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, The SCOFF Questionnaire, and the Visual Analog Scale were administered. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to test the effectiveness of the mood induction procedure. Then a chi-square test was conducted to examine the relationship between the mood condition and participants' food choices. Finally, binary logistic regression analysis was run to examine the predictors of emotional eating. Results demonstrated that the autobiographical recall method was effective in arousing the desired mood in participants. However, it was found that there was no significant relationship between participants' mood condition and their food choices. Moreover, sadness, difficulties in emotion regulation, and exercise addiction did not significantly predict emotional eating. The clinical implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research were discussed.