Dispositional mindfulness and reward motivated eating : The role of emotion regulation and mental habit

Fisher, Naomi R. and Mead, Bethan R. and Lattimore, Paul and Malinowski, Peter (2017) Dispositional mindfulness and reward motivated eating : The role of emotion regulation and mental habit. Appetite, 118. pp. 41-48. ISSN 0195-6663

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Abstract

Evidence regarding the effectiveness of mindfulness based interventions (MBIs) for eating disorders, weight management and food craving is emerging and further studies are required to understand the underlying mechanisms of MBIs in these domains. The current study was designed to establish the role of specific mechanisms underlying the putative relationship between mindfulness and reward motivated eating. We predicted that mindfulness would be negatively related to features of reward motivated eating and that this association would be mediated by emotion regulation and habitual negative self-thinking. A cross-sectional survey measuring uncontrolled and emotional eating, mindfulness, emotion regulation and habitual negative self-thinking was completed by female and male meditators and non-meditators (N = 632). Lower levels of dispositional mindfulness were associated with difficulties in emotion regulation, habitual negative self-thinking and both emotional and uncontrolled eating. Difficulties in emotion regulation significantly mediated the mindfulness-uncontrolled eating relationship. Habitual negative self-thinking significantly mediated the mindfulness-emotional eating relationship. Participants with meditation experience reported greater levels of dispositional mindfulness, fewer difficulties with emotion regulation and habitual negative self-thinking and reduced uncontrolled eating tendencies, compared to non-meditators. The findings suggest that MBIs designed to change reward motivated eating and weight control should focus on emotion regulation and mental habits as underlying mechanisms.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Appetite
Additional Information:
This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Appetite. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Appetite, 118, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.07.019
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3200
Subjects:
?? mindfulnessreward motivated eatingautomaticemotion regulationmental habitpsychology(all)nutrition and dietetics ??
ID Code:
87135
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
24 Jul 2017 10:00
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
31 Dec 2023 00:50