The Relationship Between Adult Attachment, Emotional Regulation Difficulties And Food Cravings Among College Students

Objectives.Food craving is generally defined as an intense desire to eat a specific food item.Adult attachment is "the sustained and long-term emotional connection with others,and is a stable cognitive model of self and others".Emotional regulation includes the ability to recognize,understand and accept emotions,to avoid impulsive behavior,to behave in accordance with the expected goals during negative emotional experiences,and to use effective emotional regulation strategies.Individuals with higher levels of attachment anxiety reported stronger craving for food,perceiving greater stress,and have been found more difficulties in emotion regulation.In addition,those who have difficulties in emotion regulation reported stronger cravings for food.Researches supposed attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance may influence food craving through emotion regulation.This study further explored the relationship between adult attachment,stress,emotion regulation and food craving in college students through selfreport and behavioral measurement,exploring how emotion regulation including emotion recognition affect the relationship among the above.Methods.In Study 1,583 university students in Shanghai were measured using Adult Attachment Scale(AAS),the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale(DASS-21,stress subscale),and the Trait General Food Cravings Questionnaires(FCQT).In study 2,506 participants who took part in study 1 completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale(DERS),and 170 participants completed the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test(RMET).The relationships among adult attachment,emotional regulation,emotional recognition(RMET score)and food craving were analyzed.Result.Study 1 showed,(1)There was a positive correlation between FCQT scores and attachment anxiety scores(r =.205,p <.001).(2)There was significantly positive correlations between DASS-stress and attachment anxiety(r =.387,p <.001),attachment avoidance(r =.372,p <.001),FCQT(r =.362,p <.001).(3)DASS-stress mediates the relationship between attachment anxiety and trait food craving,accounting for 69.8% of the total effect.Study 2:(1)DERS scores were significantly positively correlated with attachment anxiety(r =.473,p <.001),attachment avoidance(r =.369,p <.001),and FCQT(r =.374,p <.001),but attachment anxiety and avoidance was not associated with RMET scores and RMET interpretation scores.(2)The DERSLack of emotional awareness plays a reverse mediating role between attachment avoidance and food craving.(3)The DERS mediates the influences of attachment anxiety on trait food craving,accounting for 83.8% of the total effect.Conclusion.Study 1 found that two dimensions of adult attachment,attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety,displayed different effects on food craving.Participants with high attachment anxiety showed stronger craving for food,whereas no effect has been found on food craving of attachment avoidance.Stress mediates the effects of attachment anxiety to food craving.Study 2 showed that attachment avoidance rather than attachment anxiety effects self-emotion recognition and emotional recognition of others.Difficulties in emotion regulation had apparently effects on food craving,whereas abilities of emotional awareness had reverse effects on it.Difficulties in emotion regulation play a mediating role among attachment anxiety and food craving.