Stress Eating

Stress Eating in Undergrad Students

Hijab Sarwar

Ayza Zia

Mehak Sunil

Zuhaina Bilwani

Institute of Business Management

M2-17108: Research Methods in Psychology

Dr. Sana Sadia

May 10, 2023

Abstract

Both the prevalence of overweight and obesity and excessive stress have increased in today's

culture, raising the question of whether these trends are connected. Can stress change how you

eat? In this article, we review the studies on the relationships between stress and eating and

discuss the potential processes underlying these relationships. Our analysis shows that

relationships between stress and eating behaviour are seen rather consistently, with some

variation owing to individual differences, regardless of how stress and eating are operationalized,

controlled, or analysed, and independent of sample characteristics. Additionally, there is proof

that eating disorders are linked to both biological and behavioural processes. We examine the

potential long-term effects of stress-eating linkages for weight growth, weight stigma, and

subsequent health, and we pinpoint particular conceptual and methodological advancements

required to enhance future study and application.

Keywords: overweight, obesity, stress, stress eating, eating behaviour

Introduction

According to the American Psychological Association [APA], 2015, stress has a

deleterious impact on both physical and mental health in the United States. The unhealthy habits

of stressed-out individuals, such as inactivity (Ng & Jeffery, 2003), substance use (Sinha, 2001),

and other high-risk behaviours (Lighthall, Mather, & Gorlick, 2009; Porcelli & Delgado, 2009),

may help to explain some of these impacts. The relationship between eating and high stress is

extensively studied as well. According to Ogden, Carroll, Kit, and Flegal (2014), almost two

thirds of Americans are now deemed overweight or obese, and stress eating is probably a factor

in this epidemic.

According to the APA (2015), 41% of American adults between the ages of 18 and 35,

35% between the ages of 36 and 49, 29% between the ages of 50 and 68, and 21% between the

ages of 69 and older reported overeating or choosing unhealthy meals in response to stress. The

conceptual and practical definitions of stress and eating, however, vary significantly among

studies. In this article, we define these terms, review the research on how stress affects eating

and the theories put forth to explain these effects. We also discuss the potential costs of stress-

induced eating, especially obesity and its social and health-related repercussions.

In order to enlighten readers on the current state of the subject and to highlight

opportunities for future research in this area, we provide an overview of the breadth of research

topics, methodologies, and conceptual differences that exist in the literature on stress and eating.

We take examples from the range of research that have employed methodologically and

conceptually sound methodologies, as indicated in each of the subsections of this article, because

it is not possible to present a full evaluation of this vast body of literature. Only peer-reviewed

studies that used widely used, well-validated treatments and measures were chosen to study the
Stress Eating

variables of interest. In order to direct the reader to the greater body of research available on each

issue discussed in this review, we whenever possible propose pertinent review articles or

supplementary empirical study.

Literature Review

One study conducted by Epel, McEwen, Seeman, Matthews, Castellazzo, Brownell, et

al. (2000) found that women who reported higher levels of stress had a significantly greater

intake of high-fat, sugary foods than women who reported lower levels of stress. Another study

conducted by Oliver, Wardle, and Gibson (2000) found that individuals with high levels of

perceived stress were more likely to crave sweet foods than those with lower levels of stress.In

addition to examining the relationship between stress and food cravings, researchers have also

explored the psychological mechanisms underlying stress eating. One theory suggests that stress

may lead individuals to engage in emotional eating as a means of coping with negative emotions

(Macht & Simons, 2000).

Other studies have focused on the role of individual differences in stress eating. For

example, a study conducted by Keller and Siegrist (2015) found that individuals who reported

higher levels of job strain were more likely to engage in stress eating, but only if they also had

low levels of self-control.

One study conducted by Cornell University researchers (2011) found that students who

were under stress during exams ate more high-fat, sugary foods than those who were not. The

participants reported feeling hungrier when they were stressed, and they also felt less control

over their eating behaviors. Another study conducted by the University of Innsbruck (2016)
Stress Eating

found that students who were experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety during exams were

more likely to eat unhealthy food as a way to cope with their negative emotions.

Overall, the literature suggests that stress eating habits during exam periods are a

common issue faced by many students. The findings highlight the need for effective

interventions to promote healthy eating habits and reduce stress-related problems among

students, which may be achieved through mindfulness meditation, cognitive-behavioral

techniques, or other strategies.

Methodology

Research Design

We chose surveys as our mode of collecting data. We designed two surveys pre and post exam

questionnaire and sent those out with a gap of 2 weeks. These surveys were then analysed by our

team mates and this was purely based on quanitative research. The research was conducted over

2 months. The sample was mainly university students.

Sampling Technique

A Google form was used to contact every student. The academic year's two most

demanding yet relaxing periods, pre and post exams, were chosen. At the start of the Google

form, all of the students received information regarding the study's objective. During the study,

72 students took part.

Procedure

To gauge both adverse and beneficial impacts, authors used the SSES, emotional eating

questionnaire, RED-S, and BDSST. The SSES is a survey meant to gauge your current state of

thought. Of fact, there is no single correct response to any statement. The Emotional Eating Scale

(EES), developed by Arnow et al. in 1995, enables a thorough examination of the connection

between depressive mood and disordered eating in obese individuals with binge eating disorder.

'Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport' (RED-S) is the collective name for RED-S. The evaluation

of dietary energy intake (EI), exercise energy expenditure (EEE), and fat-free mass (FFM)

results in the determination of LEA. The BDSST is a brief tool for documenting perceived

everyday stressors across eight distinct spheres of life.

Ethical Consideration

The main considerations were not to trigger any participants feelings through our questionnaire

as the information collected was sensitive. The identities of the participants were also kept

hidden and thier information was kept private. The idea of the study was thoroughly eplained to

the participants when sending out the questionnaire and they were old that their privacy will be

maintained. Since it was a voluntary form of collecting data consent was not needed, however

the responses were individually analyzed but the results were included as a whole in the report.

Results

The results showed a pattern and we had two questionnaires (pre and post exam stress ) which

made the results vary in both of them. The pre-test showed that the results came out that the

participants ate the usual amount of food like normal which was operationalized as 2 or 3 meals

a day , 90% of the sample gave this answer. The post questionnaire results came out as
Stress Eating

participants ate more then usual which was operationalized as midnight snacks and more then 3

meals a day. The relationship with food was transitioning from a healthy relationsip to a toxic or

unhealthy one and was often named as for survival or used as a stress coping strategy.

Discussion

The results of this study were similar to the studies done in the previous years for example the

results of the study done in 2000s by matthews et al showed an increase in the intake of sugary

foods but the results of our study showed an increase in the overall consumption of food in times

of stress. The results were very similar of our study to all the other studies including Cornell

university research and Kellar and Siergest (2011) which all found a rise in the consumption of

food during or after a stressful event in a time period.

Conclusion

Limitations

The limitations that were faced in this study were the data collection method was mainly

quantitative which gave us little room to cover the subject of the study on detail. We only

covered the main problem and not the hidden reasons behind it . Some people were not that

expressive in the questions that require in depth answers that caused some problems n analyzing

the results , some of them gave long answers which caused the criteria of analysis to get

disturbed.

What more could be done?

The role of personality and stress eating behaviors could have been covered in this study which

could open up a new feild of research, for example people with high astrogen levels and are more

feminine react to stresseful situations and do they use food as a coping mechanism or not.

The other topic could be impact of stress on appetite hormones, for example how stress affects

hormones suh as leptin and ghrelin, which play a role in regulating hunger and satiety , how does

this affect the eating patterns of an individual in a stressful period.

Moreover, the effect of gender and culture on stress eating behaviors culd be monitored and the

research desing could be improvised by asking people of different cultures about their coping

mechanisms and the relationship with food.

These are the topics that could be covered in the study that was conducted by us , the results

were similar to the results of the studies done in the past. This study could be replicated easily
Stress Eating

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https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351212928 stress eating in healthy adults

(Yvonne H C Yau and marc potenza)