Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Oct;26(7):2413-2420.
doi: 10.1007/s40519-020-01082-4. Epub 2021 Jan 3.

Stress appraisal prospectively predicts binge eating through increases in negative affect

Paakhi Srivastava  1 , Elizabeth W Lampe  2   3 , Megan L Michael  2 , Stephanie Manasse  2 , Adrienne S Juarascio  2   3
Affiliations

Stress appraisal prospectively predicts binge eating through increases in negative affect

Paakhi Srivastava et al. Eat Weight Disord. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies preliminarily support the transactional model of emotion regulation in eating disorders, such that heightened stress appraisal (i.e., the cognitive evaluation of an event's demands) results in increased negative affect (NA) and subsequent binge eating (BE). However, the temporal relationships between these variables and the magnitude of stress appraisal that is clinically significant require clarification. The current study aimed to extend previous research by (1) examining the temporal relationship between stress appraisal, changes in NA, and BE using three timepoints, (2) exploring what magnitude of momentary stress appraisal results in clinically significant increases in NA and BE, and (3) characterizing what stressors are associated with clinically significant stress appraisal.

Methods: 37 adult females completed an EMA protocol assessing momentary stressors, stress appraisal, NA, and BE over 2 week duration. Multilevel mediation models were used to test the study aims.

Results: Momentary increases in stress appraisal significantly predicted binge eating through increases in NA. Stress appraisal ratings of 0.50 SD higher relative to one's average stress appraisal began to significantly predict the likelihood of BE through increases in NA, and the likelihood of BE occurrence increased with every 0.25 increments in momentary stress appraisal. Work/school stressors and interpersonal stressors were the most commonly endorsed stressors of clinically significant stress appraisal.

Conclusion: The current study supported the transactional model of emotion dysregulation in a binge eating sample and supports the use of momentary interventions at times of clinically significant stress appraisal to reduce BE risk.

Level of evidence: Level II, controlled trial without randomization.

Keywords: Binge eating; Ecological momentary assessment; Negative affect; Stress appraisal; Stressors.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Haedt-Matt AA, Keel PK (2011) Revisiting the affect regulation model of binge eating: a meta-analysis of studies using ecological momentary assessment. Psychol Bull 137(4):660 - DOI
    1. Berg KC et al (2017) Negative affect and binge eating: reconciling differences between two analytic approaches in ecological momentary assessment research. Int J Eat Disord 50(10):1222–1230 - DOI
    1. Smyth JM et al (2007) Daily and momentary mood and stress are associated with binge eating and vomiting in bulimia nervosa patients in the natural environment. J Consult Clin Psychol 75(4):629 - DOI
    1. Heatherton TF, Baumeister RF (1991) Binge eating as escape from self-awareness. Psychol Bull 110(1):86 - DOI
    1. Pearson CM, Wonderlich SA, Smith GT (2015) A risk and maintenance model for bulimia nervosa: from impulsive action to compulsive behavior. Psychol Rev 122(3):516 - DOI

LinkOut - more resources