Examining the relationship between subjective wellbeing and emotional eating in adolescents in Turkey

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between subjective wellbeing and emotional eating in adolescents. Methods: A total of 231 high school students completed a demographic questionnaire and two scales; the emotional eating scale adapted for use in children and adolescents and the adolescent subjective wellbeing scale. Results: The data showed negative and very weak relationships between the unsettled emotional state subscale of the emotional eating scale and the positive emotional state subscale (-0.146), the satisfaction with life subscale (-0.143), and the adolescent subjective wellbeing total score (-0.146). Adolescents' body perceptions, their family types, family income levels, and other variables had an impact on their state of subjective wellbeing, and variables such as gender and their father's level of education had an effect on their emotional eating. Conclusions: Emotional eating in adolescence can become a barrier to an individual's assuming future roles and responsibilities. Due to these risks, it is important to identify and reinforce the factors that help adolescents adapt and improve their subjective wellbeing.