DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Mediating effect of negative perceived stress on the relationship between premenstrual syndrome and emotional eating

  • Yesol Um (Department of Bio and Fermentation Convergence Technology, Kookmin University) ;
  • Jisun Lee (Smart Tourism Research Center, Kyung Hee University)
  • Received : 2022.01.07
  • Accepted : 2022.07.21
  • Published : 2023.04.01

Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Emotional eating is one of the eating behaviors in which negative emotions affect eating. During the luteal phase, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and its associated psychological and physical symptoms can appear in some women, and a few of them suffer from premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe form of PMS. Some women diagnosed with PMS/PMDD experience emotional eating during the luteal phase, which may be a coping mechanism for psychological stress. This study aimed to investigate how PMS/PMDD and negatively perceived stress are related to emotional eating. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A total of 409 women aged 20 to 39 yrs with a body mass index (BMI) ranging from 18.5 to 29.9 kg/m2 participated in this study. Participants who responded to all the questions of the Shortened Premenstrual Assessment Form, Negative Perceived Stress Scale, and Emotional Eater Questionnaire were divided into a PMDD and a non-PMDD group according to the cut-off value for PMDD diagnosis. Independent t-tests and mediation analyses were performed to compare the 2 groups. RESULTS: No significant differences between the 2 groups were found in terms of BMI; however, the average values for emotional eating, PMS, and negative perceived stress of the PMDD group were significantly higher than those of the non-PMDD group. Only negative perceived stress had a significant effect on emotional eating in the non-PMDD group. In the PMDD group, PMS was statistically significant for both negative perceived stress and emotional eating mediated by negative perceived stress. Consequently, it appeared to have a partial or complete mediation depending on the independent variable for the PMDD group. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the importance of managing negative perceived stress to control emotional eating in PMS/PMDD for improved women's health.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This study was conducted with the grant of Kookmin University's Alpha Project as part of the University Innovation Support Project by the Ministry of Education, and we appreciate this.

References

  1. Bruch H. Eating Disorders: Obesity, Anorexia Nervosa, and the Person Within. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul; 1974.
  2. van Strien T, van de Laar FA, van Leeuwe JF, Lucassen PL, van den Hoogen HJ, Rutten GE, van Weel C. The dieting dilemma in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes: Does dietary restraint predict weight gain 4 years after diagnosis? Health Psychol 2007;26:105-12. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.26.1.105
  3. Barrington WE, Beresford SA, McGregor BA, White E. Perceived stress and eating behaviors by sex, obesity status, and stress vulnerability: findings from the vitamins and lifestyle (VITAL) study. J Acad Nutr Diet 2014;114:1791-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2014.03.015
  4. Adam TC, Epel ES. Stress, eating and the reward system. Physiol Behav 2007;91:449-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.04.011
  5. Nguyen-Rodriguez ST, Unger JB, Spruijt-Metz D. Psychological determinants of emotional eating in adolescence. Eat Disord 2009;17:211-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640260902848543
  6. Costa C, Briguglio G, Mondello S, Teodoro M, Pollicino M, Canalella A, Verduci F, Italia S, Fenga C. Perceived stress in a gender perspective: a survey in a population of unemployed subjects of Southern Italy. Front Public Health 2021;9:640454.
  7. Klump KL, Keel PK, Culbert KM, Edler C. Ovarian hormones and binge eating: exploring associations in community samples. Psychol Med 2008;38:1749-57. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291708002997
  8. Klump KL, Keel PK, Racine SE, Burt SA, Neale M, Sisk CL, Boker S, Hu JY. The interactive effects of estrogen and progesterone on changes in emotional eating across the menstrual cycle. J Abnorm Psychol 2013;122:131-7. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029524
  9. Brantelid IE, Nilver H, Alehagen S. Menstruation during a lifespan: a qualitative study of women's experiences. Health Care Women Int 2014;35:600-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/07399332.2013.868465
  10. Reece EA, Barbieri RL. Obstetrics and Gynecology: The Essentials of Clinical Care. New York (NY): Thieme; 2010.
  11. Reed BG, Carr BR. The normal menstrual cycle and the control of ovulation. In: Feingold KR, Anawalt B, Boyce A, Chrousos G, de Herder WW, Dhatariya K, Dungan K, Hershman JM, Hofland J, Kalra S, et al., editors. Endotext. South Dartmouth (MA): MDText.com, Inc.; 2000.
  12. Patricio BP, Sergio BG. Menstrual Cycle. London: IntechOpen; 2019.
  13. Freeman EW. Premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder: definitions and diagnosis. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2003;28 Suppl 3:25-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4530(03)00099-4
  14. Ryu A, Kim TH. Premenstrual syndrome: a mini review. Maturitas 2015;82:436-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2015.08.010
  15. Epperson CN, Steiner M, Hartlage SA, Eriksson E, Schmidt PJ, Jones I, Yonkers KA. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder: evidence for a new category for DSM-5. Am J Psychiatry 2012;169:465-75. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2012.11081302
  16. Yen JY, Liu TL, Chen IJ, Chen SY, Ko CH. Premenstrual appetite and emotional responses to foods among women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Appetite 2018;125:18-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.01.029
  17. Ha J, Kim EJ, Suh HS, Kim CH, Oh KS. Correlation between luteal eating behavior symptom and trait anxiety in premenstrual dysphoric disorder: a preliminary study. J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc 2016;55:60-6. https://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2016.55.1.60
  18. Prado RC, Silveira R, Kilpatrick MW, Pires FO, Asano RY. Menstrual cycle, psychological responses, and adherence to physical exercise: viewpoint of a possible barrier. Front Psychol 2021;12:525943.
  19. Lee MH, Kim JW, Lee JH, Kim DM. The standardization of the shortened premenstrual assessment form and applicability on the internet. J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc 2002;41:159-67.
  20. Garaulet M, Canteras M, Morales E, Lopez-Guimera G, Sanchez-Carracedo D, Corbalan-Tutau MD. Validation of a questionnaire on emotional eating for use in cases of obesity: the Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ). Nutr Hosp 2012;27:645-51.
  21. Framson C, Kristal AR, Schenk JM, Littman AJ, Zeliadt S, Benitez D. Development and validation of the mindful eating questionnaire. J Am Diet Assoc 2009;109:1439-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2009.05.006
  22. Arslantas H, Dereboy F, Yuksel R, Inalkac S. Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the emotional eater questionnaire (EEQ-TR). Turk Psikiyatr Derg 2020;31:122-30.
  23. Bernabeu E, Marchena C, Iglesias MT. Factor structure and psychometric properties of emotional eater questionnaire (EEQ) in Spanish colleges. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020;17:9090.
  24. Allen SS, McBride CM, Pirie PL. The shortened premenstrual assessment form. J Reprod Med 1991;36:769-72.
  25. Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R. A global measure of perceived stress. J Health Soc Behav 1983;24:385-96. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136404
  26. Lee EH. Review of the psychometric evidence of the perceived stress scale. Asian Nurs Res 2012;6:121-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anr.2012.08.004
  27. Park JO, Seo YS. Validation of the perceived stress scale (PSS) on samples of Korean university students. Korean J Psychol Gen 2010;29:611-29.
  28. Fornell C, Larcker DF. Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. J Mark Res 1981;18:39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
  29. Hayes AF. Beyond Baron and Kenny: statistical mediation analysis in the new millennium. Commun Monogr 2009;76:408-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637750903310360
  30. Macht M. How emotions affect eating: a five-way model. Appetite 2008;50:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2007.07.002