Self-control and parental control mediate the relationship between negative emotions and emotional eating among adolescents

OBJECTIVES The study was conducted to simultaneously investigate the mediating effects of parental control and adolescents' self-control on the relationship between adolescents' negative emotions and emotional eating, and to determine pathways with the greatest effect among these variables. METHODS Negative emotions, emotional eating, parental control, and self-control were investigated in 594 high school students (average age=16.70, SD=1.09) in Changsha City, China. RESULTS High levels of negative emotions and parental control and low levels of self-control were strongly related to high levels of emotional eating in adolescents. In addition to the direct relationship between negative emotions and emotional eating, there was a mediating effect observed through low self-control and high parental control. The mediational effect of parental control was non-significant in adolescent boys. Furthermore, negative emotions related to emotional eating through the effect of parental control on adolescents' self-control. The degree to which both mediators explained the relationship between negative emotions and emotional eating ranged from 52.6% to 66.8%, and self-control had a stronger mediational effect than did parental control. CONCLUSION The results indicate that both self-control and parental control should be considered in designing preventative measures against emotional eating in adolescents. Adolescent self-control training could also assist in preventing emotional eating.

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