Control of eating and attributional style

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Dietary adherence is crucial for managing health conditions and achieving wellness goals.
• Understanding psychological factors influencing adherence is essential for developing effective interventions.
• Attributional style, the way individuals explain events, may play a significant role in sustained behavior change.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the predictive value of attributional style on adherence to a dietary regime.
• To determine if specific attributional patterns are associated with diet-breaking behaviors and relapse.

Main Methods:

• Participants' attributional styles for negative events were assessed.
• Diet adherence and instances of diet-breaking behavior were monitored.
• The relationship between attributional style and adherence outcomes was statistically analyzed.

Main Results:

• An internal attributional style for negative events significantly predicted diet-breaking behavior.
• Attributing a dietary lapse to global causes was associated with a more severe relapse during the dietary restriction period.

Conclusions:

• Attributional style is a significant predictor of adherence to dietary regimes.
• Internal attributions for negative events and global attributions for lapses are risk factors for diet failure.
• Interventions targeting attributional retraining may enhance dietary adherence and prevent relapse.