Eating When Bored: Revision of the Emotional Eating Scale With a Focus on Boredom

Objective: The current study explored whether eating when bored is a distinct construct from other negative emotions by revising the Emotional Eating Scale (EES) to include a separate boredom factor. Additionally, the relative endorsement of eating when bored compared to eating in response to other...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health psychology 2012-07, Vol.31 (4), p.521-524
Main Authors: Koball, Afton M., Meers, Molly R., Storfer-Isser, Amy, Domoff, Sarah E., Musher-Eizenman, Dara R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Boredom
Eating
Eating - psychology
Eating Behavior
Emotional Responses
Emotions
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Illness and personality
Male
Medical sciences
Negative emotions
Personality, behavior and health
Psychology and medicine
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychometrics - instrumentation
Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Revisions
Surveys and Questionnaires
Techniques and methods
Undergraduate students
Young Adult
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Summary:Objective: The current study explored whether eating when bored is a distinct construct from other negative emotions by revising the Emotional Eating Scale (EES) to include a separate boredom factor. Additionally, the relative endorsement of eating when bored compared to eating in response to other negative emotions was examined. Method: A convenience sample of 139 undergraduates completed open-ended questions regarding their behaviors when experiencing different levels of emotions. Participants were then given the 25-item EES with 6 additional items designed to measure boredom. Results: On the open-ended items, participants more often reported eating in response to boredom than the other emotions. Exploratory factor analysis showed that boredom is a separate construct from other negative emotions. Additionally, the most frequently endorsed item on the EES was "eating when bored." Conclusions: These results suggest that boredom is an important construct, and that it should be considered a separate dimension of emotional eating.
ISSN:0278-6133
1930-7810
DOI:10.1037/a0025893