The Effects Of Psychological Stress On Abnormal Eating Behavior In Adolescents

Objective: to investigate the relationship between psychological stress and abnormal eating behavior and its internal influencing mechanism.To establish a model of psychological stress affecting abnormal eating behavior through the mediating effect of reinforcement sensitivity,and To verify its moderating effect on the mediating effect of enhanced sensitivity,a moderating mediating model was established.Methods:in this study,937 middle school,high school and college students with average age of 14.99 ± 2.48 years were evaluated by PsychoSmotic-Tension-Relaxation Inventory(PSTRI),Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire(DEBQ),Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire(CERQ),and Behavioral Inhibition/Activation System Scale(BIS/BAS),SPSS(19.0),and PROCESS,a macro program compiled by Hayes,were used to analyze and PROCESS the data,as well as to test the mediating effect and adjust the mediating effect.Results(1)there were significant gender and grade differences in abnormal eating behaviors among adolescents.Abnormal eating behaviors of girls were more serious than that of boys,and abnormal eating behaviors of high school and college students were more serious than that of middle school students.(2)there are significant gender differences in psychological stress,cognitive emotion regulation and enhancement sensitivity among adolescents.Female psychological stress is significantly higher than male,and female cognitive emotion regulation level is significantly higher than male.The gender difference of adolescent reinforcement sensitivity was significant,and female reinforcement sensitivity was significantly higher than male.(3)there are significant differences in psychological stress,cognitive emotion regulation and enhanced sensitivity among adolescents.The levels of psychological stress,enhanced sensitivity and cognitive emotion regulation of college and high school students are significantly higher than that of junior high school students.(4)adolescents' psychological stress,reinforcement sensitivity,cognitive and emotional regulation were significantly correlated with abnormal eating behaviors.(5)after controlling for the variables of gender,age,grade and BMI,the two dimensions of enhanced sensitivity(reward sensitivity and punishment sensitivity)play a parallel mediating role between psychological stress and abnormal eating behavior(external eating).(6)after controlling for the variables of gender,age,grade and BMI,cognitive emotional regulation plays a regulatory role in the direct effect between psychological stress and external eating and the mediating effect of punishmentsensitivity.Conclusion the higher the level of psychological stress,the more serious the abnormal eating behavior,and the reinforcement sensitivity plays an intermediary role,that is,the higher the level of psychological stress,the higher punishment sensitivity,and the more serious the abnormal eating behavior.The first half of the mediating effect and the direct effect are regulated by the cognitive emotion regulation which can improve the external eating.The results of this study revealed the mechanism of psychological stress on abnormal eating behavior,and the psychological factors behind abnormal eating behavior and their relationship,providing a theoretical basis for the intervention of abnormal eating behavior.