Psychological and lifestyle correlates of eating behavior and adiposity: Structural and latent profile modeling.

Higher early maladaptive schemas (EMS) were associated with greater difficulties in emotion regulation.

• Community sample of 1,500 adults (53% women; aged 18-65 years) completed validated measures of EMS and difficulties in emotion regulation.
• Structural equation modeling was used to test direct, indirect, and conditional associations.
• Multi-group analyses examined gender and age differences in these associations.

Emotion regulation difficulties were positively associated with emotional and habitual overeating, with stronger associations observed among women.

• The association between emotion regulation difficulties and emotional overeating was stronger among women than men.
• Habitual overeating also showed a positive association with difficulties in emotion regulation.
• Multi-group analyses by gender revealed differential patterns in these associations.

Emotion regulation difficulties showed a modest negative association with dietary restraint.

• The negative association between emotion regulation difficulties and dietary restraint was described as modest in magnitude.
• Indirect effects of EMS via emotion regulation were small and limited to dietary restraint.
• Emotion regulation did not mediate the relationship between EMS and emotional or habitual overeating.

Perceived stress did not moderate the EMS-emotion regulation association, whereas perceived social support showed a small buffering effect.

• Perceived stress was tested as a moderator of the EMS-emotion regulation association and was not significant.
• Perceived social support demonstrated a statistically significant but small buffering (moderating) effect on the EMS-emotion regulation association.
• Both perceived stress and social support were assessed using validated measures in the same sample of 1,500 adults.

Eating behaviors were associated with poorer diet quality, which was in turn related to higher body mass index and waist circumference.

• BMI and waist circumference were assessed using standardized procedures.
• Diet quality was assessed as a mediating variable between eating behaviors and adiposity outcomes.
• Both BMI and waist circumference were used as indicators of adiposity.

Physical activity and sedentary behavior showed independent associations with adiposity.

• Physical activity and sedentary behavior were associated with adiposity independently of psychological and eating behavior pathways.
• These associations were observed even after accounting for psychological vulnerabilities and eating behaviors in the structural model.
• This finding supports integrative, multidimensional models that include both psychological and lifestyle factors.

Latent profile analysis supported a two-profile solution characterized by higher-risk versus lower-risk groups with distinct psychological, behavioral, and adiposity patterns.

• Latent profile analysis was conducted on the full sample of 1,500 adults.
• The two profiles were characterized as 'higher-risk' and 'lower-risk' based on their constellation of psychological, behavioral, and adiposity variables.
• The profiles were distinguished by distinct patterns across psychological vulnerabilities (EMS, emotion regulation difficulties), lifestyle behaviors, and adiposity measures.

All findings are correlational and do not imply causality due to the cross-sectional study design.

• The study employed a cross-sectional design with a single measurement point.
• Causal or directional conclusions cannot be drawn from the structural equation modeling results.
• The authors explicitly note this as a limitation of the study.