Longitudinal associations between emotional eating and sleep disturbances: A Generation R study

Emotional eating behaviors, defined as the tendency to eat in response to negative emotions, increase in frequency throughout adolescence and have been linked to negative health outcomes, including higher body weight and unhealthier dietary patterns. Although cross-sectional studies have established relationships between emotional eating and sleep disturbances in adolescents, the directionality and underlying mechanisms of this association remain unclear. This study therefore examined within-person associations between emotional eating and sleep disturbances across adolescence.

A sample of 3216 adolescents from the Generation R Study, a prospective population-based cohort in the Netherlands, was examined across three time points (ages 10, 14, and 18). Associations were modelled using a Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM). Multi-group RI-CLPMs were estimated to explore differences in cross-lagged pathways by sex, anxiety problems, affective problems, national origin, maternal education, and weight status.

No intra-individual cross-lagged associations were found in the overall sample. However, a small within-person concurrent association at age 18 was observed, suggesting co-occurrence of emotional eating and sleep disturbances in late adolescence. Multi-group analyses showed that emotional eating at age 14 predicted increased sleep disturbances at age 18 among adolescents of European origin and those at low risk of overweight at age 10.

While no consistent intra-individual directional effects were found across adolescence, findings suggest that emotional eating may contribute to later sleep disturbances in specific subgroups. Further research with extended follow-up into adulthood is warranted.