| Emotional eating exists when an individual's primary means of coping with his or her emotions is by eating. Emotional eating is most noticeable as a response to negative feelings, especially anger, depression, and anxiety. While emotional eating is not a diagnosable eating disorder, there are aspects of eating behavior similar to those disturbances seen in eating disorders. Emotional eating is further complicated when individuals are obese and undergoing bariatric surgery. This complication exists because individual continue to have these eating disturbances, however bariatric surgery places specific eating restrictions on them which may be difficult for them to handle. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences that exist between emotional and non-emotional eaters on measures of psychopathology, eating behavior and their weight prior to bariatric surgery. The study consisted of 103 male and female obese individuals presenting for bariatric surgery, in which 32 percent met the study's criteria for emotional eating. Findings show that there are significant differences between emotional and non-emotional eaters on the Beck Depression Inventory, Body Shape Questionnaire, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Health Survey. Emotional eaters showed higher levels of psychopathology and eating disturbances than non-emotional eaters. Emotional eaters scored higher on body shape concerns than non-emotional eaters. Emotional eaters also scored significantly lower on levels of self-esteem than non-emotional eaters. Lastly, emotional eaters reported being in worse health, having less energy and more mental health disturbances than non-emotional eaters. Overall, these findings suggest that close attention needs to be paid to those who are emotional eaters with the understanding that these pre-existing disturbances may impact post-surgical success. |
