Cognitive Fusion and Emotional Eating among Adolescents with Obesity: A Preliminary Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Cognitive fusion and avoidance are supposed to exert a key role in the development and maintenance of disordered eating behaviors related to obesity, such as emotional eating. A large portion of the research has focused on adult populations, while few data are available on adolescents so far. The current cross-sectional study is intended to explore the association between cognitive fusion, avoidance, and emotional eating in a sample of fifty-six Italian adolescents (13–17 years) with obesity (body mass index > 97th centile). For this purpose, participants attending a 3-week body weight reduction program were assessed using demographical, physical, and clinical data. A multivariate linear regression model was performed in order to preliminarily investigate the predictive role of cognitive fusion on emotional eating, controlling for possible confounding factors. Results showed a significant association between cognitive fusion and emotional eating. Regression revealed that cognitive fusion was a significant contributor for explaining emotional eating (controlling for sex) [R2 = 0.551; Adjusted R2 = 0.534; F(2,53) = 32.5; p < 0.001]. Even if preliminary, our findings suggest a predictive role of cognitive fusion on emotional eating, and also suggest that cognitive fusion can be considered a key component in understanding and addressing of disordered eating behaviors related to obesity. Future replications are required to expand the sample and collect longitudinal data. Intervention programs for childhood obesity could benefit from this line of research.

Fatigue Perception in Adolescents with Obesity and Their Caregivers

“…This was a cross-sectional study on the association between obesity and a variety of adolescent outcomes, including cognitive fusion, emotional eating [ 2 ], and fatigue perception. One hundred and five Italian adolescents (38 males; 67 females) aged between 11 and 17 (mean age = 15.3; SD = 1.61) with severe obesity [mean Body Mass Index (BMI) = 38; SD = 5.48] and their caregivers were initially screened for the participation at the study.…”

“…Childhood obesity is associated with several comorbidities, such as type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, other metabolic diseases, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases (such as obstructive sleep apnoea), and musculoskeletal problems. However, the effects of childhood obesity are not only restricted to physical health, but they have an impact on psychological functioning [ 2 ], as childhood obesity severely impacts all the domains composing the so-called health-related quality of life. Obesity in children and adolescents is also associated with low self-esteem, poor body image [ 3 ], depression [ 4 ], and decreased cognitive performance [ 5 ].…”