New Delhi: Children who frequently experience intense and unpredictable emotions may be more likely to develop emotional overeating as they grow older, according to a new study published in Child Development. The findings suggest that identifying emotional difficulties early in childhood could help prevent unhealthy eating patterns later in life.
Emotional overeating, sometimes called comfort eating, occurs when people eat in response to negative emotions such as sadness, anxiety or frustration rather than physical hunger. Although it can be a normal part of childhood eating behaviour, persistent emotional overeating has been associated with a higher risk of obesity and eating disorders.
“Children who often experience strong and variable emotions may be at greater risk of developing emotional overeating later in life,” said Francesca Parisi, the study’s lead author and a research fellow at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), when interviewed by Newswise.
Following children from age 6 to 18
Researchers examined data from 878 children and adolescents participating in the Trondheim Early Secure Study (TESS), a long-term Norwegian research project. The participants were followed every two years between the ages of 6 and 18.
Parents and teachers assessed the children’s emotional instability, negative emotions and ability to regulate their feelings. Emotional overeating was initially reported by parents, with participants providing their own assessments from age 14 onwards.
The researchers found that increases in emotional instability and negative emotions during childhood predicted higher levels of emotional overeating two years later. However, this relationship was not observed during adolescence.
Interestingly, the researchers found no evidence that difficulties with emotion regulation directly predicted subsequent emotional overeating. They also found no significant differences between boys and girls or across age groups.
“The results suggest that paying extra attention to children who express strong and unpredictable emotions could be a wise tactic to prevent the development of emotional overeating,” said Oda Bjørklund, an associate professor at NTNU and one of the study’s researchers.
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The importance of early intervention
Co-author Silje Steinsbekk also highlighted the role parents can play in shaping children’s eating habits. “We’ve previously shown that the risk of overeating increases if parents use food to comfort their child. This habit may be particularly important to avoid for parents who have a highly emotional child,” she said.
Parisi cautioned that emotional overeating can begin as an ordinary childhood behaviour, but persistent patterns may have more serious consequences.
“Emotional overeating may initially start as a completely normal part of children’s eating patterns, but high levels are linked to an increased risk of obesity and more serious eating problems later in life.”
The researchers acknowledge that their findings do not establish a causal relationship and that further research is needed across different cultural and clinical populations. Nevertheless, they suggest that supporting emotionally vulnerable children early could help prevent unhealthy eating patterns from developing.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)