Momentary fluctuations in emotional intelligence and stress predict changes in disordered eating

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Low emotional intelligence is linked to disordered eating.
• The dynamic relationship between daily emotional intelligence and disordered eating requires investigation.
• The moderating role of stress in this association is underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine if daily changes in emotional intelligence predict daily fluctuations in disordered eating symptoms.
• To investigate stress as a moderator of the relationship between emotional intelligence and disordered eating.

Main Methods:

• 100 undergraduate students completed baseline questionnaires.
• Participants engaged in ecological momentary assessments 3 times daily for 2 weeks.
• Data analyzed using within-subjects estimates and moderation analysis.

Main Results:

• Higher momentary emotional intelligence correlated with lower disordered eating concurrently (estimate = -0.30, p < .001) and at the next time point (estimate = -0.08, p = .03).
• Momentary stress moderated the association between baseline emotional intelligence and momentary disordered eating (b = -0.02, p < .01).

Conclusions:

• Daily variations in emotional intelligence are predictive of day-to-day changes in disordered eating.
• Stress influences the connection between emotional intelligence and disordered eating behaviors.