Investigating the Association between Eating Self-Efficacy and Emotional Eating: The Parallel Mediating Roles of Shame and Guilt in Women with Overweight and Obesity

Objective: The study investigated the direct and indirect pathways between eating self-efficacy and emotional eating behavior in women with overweight and obesity, evaluating the parallel mediating roles of shame and guilt related to body and weight. Materials and Methods: A total of ۲۲۸ women between the ages of ۱۸ and ۷۰, with overweight and obesity (Body Mass Index≥ ۲۵), were recruited through purposive sampling. Participants completed online questionnaires: Demographic Information Questionnaire (DIQ), Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), Weight- and Body-Related Shame and Guilt Scale (WEB-SG), Weight Efficacy Lifestyle-Short Form (WEL-SF). Descriptive statistics and parallel mediation analysis (PROCESS model ۴) with bootstrapping were used to test the hypothesized model. SPSS version ۲۳ was used to analyze the data. Results: Higher levels of eating self-efficacy were directly associated with the lower levels of emotional eating behavior (P< ۰.۰۰۱), and indirectly related to reduced emotional eating by decreased weight- and body-related shame and guilt (P< ۰.۰۵). Shame and guilt served as partial, parallel mediators. The model explained ۳۹% of the variance in emotional eating behavior (R۲= ۰.۳۹). Conclusion: This study underscores the importance of addressing cognitive and emotional factors in interventions to improve eating behaviors and manage obesity in women, providing actionable insights for healthcare professionals and researchers.

کلیدواژه ها:

Disordered eating behavior ، Emotions ، Self-Efficacy