Abstract
Purpose: The relationships between momentary affect and weight control behaviors have been extensively studied in samples of individuals with eating disorders, but we do not know that the established relationships translate to healthy college women. The current study examined the relationship between affect and weight control behaviors in healthy college women. Method: Female college students (N = 67) completed measures of negative affect, positive affect, healthy weight control behaviors, and unhealthy weight control behaviors across fourteen days using ecological momentary assessment. Results: Average daily negative affect was inversely associated with daily engagement in unhealthy weight control behaviors, but was not associated with healthy weight control behaviors. Average daily positive affect was not associated with daily engagement in healthy or unhealthy weight control behaviors. Conclusion: Negative affect was inversely associated with engagement in unhealthy weight control behaviors in this female undergraduate sample. Future studies should continue to elucidate the differences in the relationships in samples of individuals with ED psychopathology vs. healthy samples.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 101439 |
| Journal | Eating Behaviors |
| Volume | 40 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The study was funded by a grant to Dr. Pacanowski by the University of Delaware Research Foundation . The University of Delaware Research Foundation had no role in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, writing the manuscript, or the decision to submit the paper for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020
Keywords
- Affect
- Eating disorders
- Weight control behaviors
- Weight loss
PubMed: MeSH publication types
- Journal Article
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't