Investigation of the relationship of mindful eating with attention deficit, hyperactivity, depression and anxiety symptoms in university students

Mindful eating is defined as eating by being aware of physical and emotional sensations. Although the relationship between mindful eating and some psychological factors has gained importance in recent years, the number of comprehensive studies on its relationship with psychiatric symptoms such as depression and anxiety are scarce. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship of mindful eating with depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity symptoms in university students and to determine the predictors of mindful eating in this context. The sample consisted of 998 participants. Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ-30), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Test (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Scale (ASRS), and a 13-item sociodemographic form were used in this study. In order to test the difference between sociodemographic variables and scales, independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA analyzes were performed. Pearson Product Moments Correlation Coefficient was used to determine the relationships between variables. Results of hierarchical regression analysis conducted to determine the predictors of mindful eating showed that in the final model, mindful eating was significantly predicted by age, body mass index, depression and attention deficit hyperactivity symptom severity, but not by anxiety symptom severity. In this study, which was conducted with a non-clinical sample, it is important to find that both physiological variables such as age and body mass index, and psychiatric variables such as depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms are associated with mindful eating. It is anticipated that this study will be a stepping stone for future clinical studies.