Mindfulness eating: The role of attachment styles and emotion regulation

Subject Areas :

hossein rostami ¹ , shirin zeinali ^{2 *}

1 - Research Center for Cognitive & Behavioral Sciences in Police, Directorate of Health, Rescue & Treatment, Police Headquarter, Tehran, Iran. NAJA Institute of Law Enforcement Sciences and Social Studies, Tehran, Iran
2 - assistant professor, urmia university

Received: 2024-10-14 Accepted : 2025-01-07 Published : 2025-09-27

Keywords: mindful eating, emotion dysregulation, attachment style,

Abstract :

Mindful eating refers to being fully present and aware while eating and is influenced by psychological factors. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is the relationship between attachment styles and mindful eating and the mediating role of emotion disregulation. In this correlational research, 270 students of Urmia University were selected by cluster sampling method in 2024 and completed attachment style (Collins and Reed, 1990), emotion disregulating  (Gratz and Roemer, 2004) and mindful eating (Framson et al., 2009). the data were analyzed by using spss and Smart-pls software. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between secure attachment styles directly and with the mediating role of emotion disregulation and mindful eating (p<0/05). Also, avoidant nad anxious attachment directly and with a mediating role of emotion disregulation has a significant relationship with mindful eating(p<0/05). The findings of the present study show thatitrapersonal and emotional variables play a significant role in mindful eating.

 

References:

پاکدامن، شهلا (1380). بررسی ارتباط بین دلبستگی و جامعه طلبی در نوجوانان. پایان‌نامه دکتری روان‌شناسی دانشگاه تهران
پونده نژادان، علی‌اکبر. عطاری، یوسفعلی. حسین، دردانه. (1397). پیش‌بینی کیفیت زندگی بر اساس خوردن ذهن‌آگاهانه با میانجی¬گری تصویر بدنی و رفتارهای خوردن در زنان متأهل دارای اضافه‌وزن و چاقی. فرهنگ مشاوره و روان‌درمانی. 9 (34)، 141-170
شمس، جمال. عزیزی، علیرضا. میرزایی، آزاده . (1389). بررسی رابطه تحمل آشفتگی و تنظیم هیجانی با میزان وابستگی دانشجویان به سیگار. تحقیقات نظام سلامت حکیم. ۱۳ (۱)، 11-18
هومن، حیدرعلی. (1384). مدل یابی معادلات ساختاری با کاربرد نرم افزار لیزرل. نشر سمت



Bowlby J. (1982). Attachment and Loss. Volume 1: Attachment. 2nd edn. New York: Basic Books; 1982.
Bekmezci, Z., & Çağatay, S. E. (2024). Investigation of the role of difficulty in emotion regulation in the relationship between attachment styles and binge eating disorder. Current Psychology, 43, 22389–22396
Carbonneau, N.; Cantin, M.; Barbeau, K.; Lavigne, G.; Lussier, Y. (2021) Self-Compassion as a Mediator of the Relationship between Adult Women’s Attachment and Intuitive Eating. Nutrients. 13, 3124.
Collin, V.L.& Read, S.J. (1990). Adult attachment, working models a relationship quality in dating couples. Journal of personality and social psychology, 58 (4), 46-63
Cortés-García, L., Takkouche, B., Seoane, G., & Senra, C. (2019). Mediators linking insecure attachment to eating symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PloS one, 14(3), e0213099.
Czepczor-Bernat, K., Brytek-Matera, A., Gramaglia, C., Zeppegno, P. (2020). The moderating effects of mindful eating on the relationship between emotional functioning and eating styles in overweight and obese women. Eating Weight Disorder. 25(4),841-849.
Davison, K. K., & Birch, L. L. (2001). Childhood overweight: A contextual model and
recommendations for future research. Journal of Obesity Reviews, 2(3), 159–171
Delvecchio, E., Di Riso, D., Salcuni, S., Lis, A., George, C. (2014)Anorexia and attachment: dysregulated defense and pathological mourning. Front Psychology. 28(5), 1218.
Framson, C., Kristal, A.R., Schenk, J.M., Littman, A.J., Zeliadt, S., Benitez, D. (2009). Development and validation of the Mindful Eating Questionnaire. Journal of American Dietetic Association, 109, 1439-1444
Gander, M., Sevecke, K., & Buchheim, A. (2015). Eating disorders in adolescence: attachment issues from a developmental perspective. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 1136.
Gratz, K., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 26(1), 41–54
Grimm, E. R., & Steinle, N. I. (2011). Genetics of eating behavior: Established and
emerging concepts. Journal of Nutrition Reviews, 69(1), 52–60
Han, S., Kahn, J. H. (2017) Attachment, Emotion Regulation Difficulties, and Disordered Eating Among College Women and Men. The Counseling Psychologist .45(8), 1066-1090
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1991). Full Catastrophe Living. New York, N.Y., Dell Publishing
Lattimore, P. (2020). Mindfulness-based emotional eating awareness training: taking the emotional out of eating. Eating Weight Disorder. 25(3),649-657
Lorenzini, N., Phil, M., Fonagy, P. (2013). Attachment and Personality Disorders: A Short Review Published Online: focus : https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.11.2.155
Macht, M. (2008). How Emotions Affect Eating: A Five-Way Model. Journal of Appetite, 50, 1-11
Monell, E., Clinton, D., & Birgegård, A. (2018). Emotion dysregulation and eating disorders—Associations with diagnostic presentation and key symptoms. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 51(8), 921-930.
Moreira, H., & Canavarro, M. C. (2018). The association between self-critical rumination and parenting stress: The mediating role of mindful parenting. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27(7), 2265–2275.
Nelson, J. B. (2017). Mindful Eating: The Art of Presence While You Eat. Diabetes Spectrum. 30(3),171-174
Nielsen, S. K. K., Lønfeldt, N., Wolitzky-Taylor, K. B., Hageman, I., Vangkilde, S., & Daniel, S. I. F. (2017). Adult attachment style and anxiety–The mediating role of emotion regulation. Journal of Affective Disorders, 218, 253-259.
Pasztak-Opiłka, A., de Jonge, R., Zachurzok, A., Górnik-Durose, M.E. (2020). Adult attachment styles and mothers' life satisfaction in relation to eating behaviors in the families with overweight and obese children. PLoS One. 3,15(12), e0243448.
Pidgeon, A., & Grainger, A. (2013). Mindfulness as a factor in the relationship between insecure attachment style, neurotic personality and disordered eating behavior. Open Journal of Medical Psychology, 2(04), 25.
Redondo, I., & Luyten, P. (2018). The mediating role of mentalizing between attachment and eating disorders. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 82(3), 202-223.
Strahler, J., Wachten, H., Neuhofer, S., Zimmermann, P. (2022). Psychological Correlates of Excessive Healthy and Orthorexic Eating: Emotion Regulation, Attachment, and Anxious-Depressive-Stress Symptomatology. Frontiers in Nutrition. 9, 9,817047.
Tasca, G.A., Balfour, L. (2014). Eating disorders and attachment: a contemporary psychodynamic perspective. Psychodynamic Psychiatry .42(2), 257-76.
Uccula, A., Enna, M. and Mulatti, C. (2022) Responding to Distress Choosing Between Care and Food: Attachment Orientation and Emotion Regulation. Frontiers in Psychology. 13, 930168.
Wnuk, S.M., Du Ch,T., Van Exan, J., Wallwork, A., Warwick, K., Tremblay, L., Kowgier, M., Sockalingam, S. (2017) Mindfulness-based eating and awareness training for post-bariatric surgery patients: a feasibility pilot study. Journal of Mindfulness. 9, 949–960.
Zakhour, M., Haddad, C., Salameh, P., Sacre, H., Hallit, R., Akel, M., ... & Obeid, S. (2021). Association Between Adult Attachment Styles and Disordered Eating Among a Sample of Lebanese Adults. Research Square. Preprint. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-143027/v1
Zysberg, L., & Rubanov, A. (2010). Emotional intelligence and emotional eating patterns: A new insight into the antecedents of eating disorders? Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 42(5), 345–348.