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Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Intermittent Binge-Intake Model in Mice
Published on: January 10, 2025
Daily stress, coping, and dietary restraint in binge eating
Lisa M Yacono Freeman1, Karen M Gil
1Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. diarystudy@drlisafreeman.com
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.
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