Emotion Regulation Feeding Practices Link Parents’ Emotional Eating to Children’s Emotional Eating: A Moderated Mediation Study

Abstract

UNLABELLED: Past research suggests an association between parents' and children's emotional eating, but research has yet to examine mechanisms underlying this association. OBJECTIVE: The current study examined whether feeding for emotion regulation mediates the association between parents' and children's emotional eating, and whether this association is moderated by children's self-regulation in eating. METHOD: 95 parents reported on their own and their children's emotional eating, their children's self-regulation in eating, as well as their feeding practices. RESULTS: Findings revealed that feeding for emotion regulation mediated the association between parents' and children's emotional eating when children's self-regulation in eating was low, but not when self-regulation in eating was high. CONCLUSION: The current findings demonstrate the complexity of the link between parents' and children's emotional eating, suggesting practitioners should consider both feeding practices and children's self-regulation in eating when designing intervention programs.