Influence of trait anxiety and depressive symptomatology on overeating behavior

Abstract

All people can present overeating, but there are emotions that can influence this behavior, such as anxiety and depression; therefore, the interaction between trait anxiety and depressive symptomatology with overeating was evaluated in a general model and by groups (sex and BMI), by means of structural equations. A non-probabilistic, accidental sampling was carried out; 1332 Mexican adults (18 to 65 years old) participated, the exclusion criteria were applied and a sample of 713 women and 451 men remained. The questionnaire was applied in Inquisit Web and ethical aspects for this type of research were taken into account. In all the models evaluated, overeating is influenced by depressive symptomatology and only in the normal weight (with inverse relationship) and overweight (with direct relationship) groups by anxiety. It is important to continue studying these variables and to provide evidence to contribute to the design of preventive interventions.