Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
Emotion regulation and binge eating in children
Julia Czaja1, Winfried Rief, Anja Hilbert
1Department of Psychology, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany. czajaj@staff.uni-marburg.de
Objective:
To examine the ability to regulate emotions in children with binge eating.
Method:
A community sample of 60 children ages 8-13 with at least one episode of loss of control (LOC) eating during the past 3 months and a matched control group without LOC (n = 60) underwent a clinical interview (Eating Disorder Examination adapted for Children) and completed self-report questionnaires assessing emotion regulation strategies, eating pathology, and depressive symptoms.
Results:
Children with LOC eating made a significantly higher use of dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies (p < .01), especially for the regulation of anxiety (p < .01). Maladaptive strategies were associated with greater depressiveness (p < .001). Use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies did not differ between children with and without LOC eating.
Discussion:
Results document an association between LOC eating and difficulties in regulating negative emotions in children. Interventions targeting LOC eating in children should include training for coping with negative emotions.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Binge Eating Disorders
Bulimia Nervosa
Self-Regulation
Regulation of Food Intake
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
