When Childhood Trauma Meets War: Emotional Eating Through the Lens of PTSD

Objective: This study examines the interplay between childhood trauma, war exposure, and maladaptive coping mechanisms, with a focus on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a mediator and war exposure as a potential moderator in the relationship between childhood trauma and emotional eating. Methods: Participants completed validated measures of childhood trauma, PTSD, and emotional eating. Statistical analyses included Pearson correlations, stepwise linear regression, and moderated mediation models, adjusting for age and gender. Results: The study included 426 Hebrew-speaking Israeli adults (52.8% female, 47.2% male, mean age 40). Childhood trauma, particularly emotional abuse, was significantly associated with PTSD and emotional eating. The relationship between childhood trauma and emotional eating was fully mediated by PTSD, with a stronger effect observed for emotional abuse. War exposure significantly predicted PTSD but did not moderate the link between PTSD and emotional eating. Sex differences emerged, with female participants exhibiting higher PTSD levels than males. Conclusions: The findings emphasize the enduring impact of childhood trauma, particularly emotional abuse, on maladaptive coping mechanisms like emotional eating, mediated by PTSD. While war exposure intensified PTSD symptoms, it did not significantly influence emotional eating. These results highlight the differential effects of early- and later-life traumas, offering insights for targeted interventions in trauma recovery.