Nutr Res Pract.  2023 Apr;17(2):330-340. 10.4162/nrp.2023.17.2.330.

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

• Um Y
• Lee J

• KMID: 2541369
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4162/nrp.2023.17.2.330

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.

Keyword

Emotional eating; premenstrual syndrome; premenstrual dysphoric disorder; negative perceived stress; mediating effect

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Models of the relationship among emotional eating, PMS, and negative perceived stress depending on independent variables between the 2 groups.PMS-10 contains 10 items of the SPAF covering overall symptoms of PMS; PMS-4 contains 4 items (affective factors) of the SPAF covering only affective factor of PMS. The groups were divided according to a cut-off score of 27 on the SPAF.→: Significant; --->: Not significant.PMDD, premenstrual dysphoric disorder; SPAF, Shortened Premenstrual Assessment Form; PMS, premenstrual syndrome; ns, not significant.**P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001.

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