Negative emotional eating among obese individuals with and without binge eating behavior and night eating syndrome

Objective: To assess and compare negative emotional eating among individuals with and without Night Eating Syndrome (NES) and Binge Eating behavior (BE). Method: The sample consisted of 76 obese participants, who were divided into four groups: the NES Only group; the BE Only group; the BE & NES group; and the overweight control group with neither BE or NES. Results: Results showed significantly higher negative emotional eating among the BE Only group, whereas those with NES Only did not report eating in direct response to negative emotions and situations. Discussion: Results suggest that individuals with BE may be using food as a maladaptive coping mechanism, while individuals with NES eat in the evening hours as a way to avoid the experience of negative emotions.