Daily stress, coping, and dietary restraint in binge eating

OBJECTIVE: The current study evaluated whether psychological stress, use of specific coping strategies, and trait dietary restraint would prospectively predict binge eating episodes. METHOD: After completing a baseline measure of restraint, 46 binge eating college women kept daily diaries assessing depressed affect, stress, coping, and binge eating for 30 days. RESULTS: Regardless of level of depressed mood, higher stress was associated with increased risk of same-day binge eating; distraction coping was associated with increased risk of future binge eating; social support was associated with decreased risk of same-day binge eating; and women with high versus low dietary restraint showed different patterns of relationship for stress, coping, and binge eating. DISCUSSION: Vulnerability to binge eating in women who differ in terms of dietary restraint level may vary as a function of their coping responses to stress. Results highlight the complexities of stress and coping in binge eating.