Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology & Population Health, 1300 Morris Park Ave., Bronx, NY 10461, United States.
Eat Behav. 2013 Dec;14(4):518-21. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2013.07.009. Epub 2013 Jul 22.
Recent research suggests a role of cognitive self-regulation skills on obesity and lifestyle behaviors. However, very little is known about the role of emotion regulation. This study examined the association of emotion regulation with lifestyle behaviors and examined a mediational model testing the effects of emotion regulation through self-efficacy and depressive symptoms.
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 602 adolescents (mean age 12.7 years) from 4 public schools in the Bronx, NY. The sample was 58% female, predominantly Hispanic (74%) and US born (81%). Emotion regulation was assessed by 3 indicators and defined as a latent variable. Dependent variables included fruit/vegetable intake, snack/junk food intake, frequency of physical activity, and time spent in sedentary behaviors. Structural equation modeling examined the association of emotion regulation with lifestyle behaviors, with self-efficacy and depressive symptoms defined as potential mediators.
The analyses showed that there was a positive association of emotion regulation with higher intake of fruits/vegetable and greater physical activity, which was mediated by self-efficacy. Emotion regulation was related to snack/junk food intake and sedentary behavior, and the structural equation model indicated pathways through an inverse relation to depressive symptoms, but these pathways were only observed in adolescent girls and not boys.
These findings indicate that the ability to regulate emotions among adolescents has a role in weight-related behaviors. Future studies may need to explore the relation of other dimensions of emotion to positive health behaviors and study aspects of emotion regulation that may be more relevant for boys.
最近的研究表明，认知自我调节技能在肥胖和生活方式行为中起着一定的作用。然而，关于情绪调节的作用知之甚少。本研究探讨了情绪调节与生活方式行为的关系，并通过自我效能感和抑郁症状检验了一个中介模型，测试了情绪调节的影响。
在纽约布朗克斯的 4 所公立学校进行了一项横断面研究，共纳入 602 名青少年（平均年龄 12.7 岁）。该样本中女性占 58%，以西班牙裔为主（74%），且 81%为土生土长的美国人。情绪调节通过 3 个指标进行评估，并定义为一个潜在变量。因变量包括水果/蔬菜摄入量、零食/垃圾食品摄入量、体育活动频率和久坐行为时间。结构方程模型检验了情绪调节与生活方式行为的关系，将自我效能感和抑郁症状定义为潜在的中介变量。
分析表明，情绪调节与更高的水果/蔬菜摄入量和更多的体育活动呈正相关，而自我效能感在其中起中介作用。情绪调节与零食/垃圾食品摄入量和久坐行为有关，结构方程模型表明，通过与抑郁症状呈负相关的途径，但这些途径仅在少女中观察到，而在男孩中未观察到。
这些发现表明，青少年调节情绪的能力与与体重相关的行为有关。未来的研究可能需要探讨其他情绪维度与积极健康行为的关系，并研究对男孩更相关的情绪调节方面。
