Tan Rong, Huang Tao, Li Yiru, Zhang Yuhe, Li Xijin, Lin Xuanxuan, Liao Zhenjiang, Huang Qiuping
Department of Psychology, School of Humanities and Management, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Mental Health Center, Dongguan Jiarong Foreign Language School, Dongguan, Guangdong, China.
BJPsych Open. 2025 Jun 27;11(4):e131. doi: 10.1192/bjo.2025.63.
Emotional eating, the tendency to eat in response to negative emotions, is rising among adolescents and linked to obesity and mental health issues. While negative life events contribute to emotional eating, the roles of self-control and social support remain unclear.
This study examined the relationship between negative life events and emotional eating in adolescents, testing self-control as a mediator and perceived social support as a moderator.
A sample of 740 Chinese high school students (aged 14-18) completed validated measures of negative life events, self-control, perceived social support, and emotional eating. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, USA)and PROCESS macro for mediation/moderation effects.
Negative life events predicted higher emotional eating ( = 0.11, < 0.01), while lower self-control mediated this relationship ( = -0.15, < 0.001). Perceived social support moderated the association ( = -0.09, < 0.05), weakening it among adolescents with stronger support.
Negative life events increase emotional eating, but self-control and social support play key roles. Interventions targeting these factors may reduce emotional eating and improve adolescent well-being.
情绪化进食，即因负面情绪而进食的倾向，在青少年中呈上升趋势，且与肥胖和心理健康问题有关。虽然负面生活事件会导致情绪化进食，但自我控制和社会支持的作用仍不明确。
本研究考察了青少年负面生活事件与情绪化进食之间的关系，检验自我控制作为中介变量以及感知社会支持作为调节变量的作用。
对740名中国高中生（年龄在14 - 18岁之间）进行抽样，他们完成了关于负面生活事件、自我控制、感知社会支持和情绪化进食的有效测量。使用SPSS 25.0（美国纽约州阿蒙克市IBM公司）和PROCESS宏程序对数据进行中介/调节效应分析。
负面生活事件预示着更高的情绪化进食水平（β = 0.11，p < 0.01），而较低的自我控制在这一关系中起中介作用（β = -0.15，p < 0.001）。感知社会支持起到调节作用（β = -0.09，p < 0.05），在支持较强的青少年中弱化了这种关联。
负面生活事件会增加情绪化进食，但自我控制和社会支持起着关键作用。针对这些因素的干预措施可能会减少情绪化进食并改善青少年的幸福感。
