Fatores psicológicos que predizem a alimentação emocional em estudantes universitários: desafios para a saúde e o bem-estar geral
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v70.116301Palavras-chave:
Alimentação emocional, qualidade de vida, nutrição, saúde mental, saúde e bem-estarResumo
Introdução: Nos últimos anos, a alimentação emocional tem recebido uma atenção crescente devido ao seu impacto na saúde e bem-estar. Diversos estudos demonstraram como as emoções podem influenciar os padrões alimentares, levando as pessoas a comer em resposta a estados afetivos em vez de necessidades fisiológicas.
Objectivo: Determinar se a depressão, a ansiedade e o stresse predizem a alimentação emocional numa amostra de estudantes universitários da Amazónia peruana.
Metodologia: Adotou-se uma abordagem quantitativa, utilizando um desenho preditivo não experimental. A amostra foi constituída por 436 estudantes universitários, que responderam à Escala de Depressão, Ansiedade e Stress (DASS-21) e ao Questionário de Alimentação Emocional, ambos instrumentos com propriedades psicométricas adequadas. Resultados: O modelo de regressão foi estatisticamente significativo (F = 75,692, p < 0,05), explicando 34,5% da variância da alimentação emocional (R² = 0,345). Entre as variáveis avaliadas, a depressão (β = 0,153, p < 0,05), a ansiedade (β = 0,227, p < 0,05) e o stress (β = 0,258, p < 0,05) previram significativamente níveis mais elevados de alimentação emocional. Além disso, observou-se que as mulheres apresentaram níveis mais elevados de depressão, ansiedade, stress e alimentação emocional, enquanto os estudantes mais jovens apresentaram maior ansiedade (p < 0,05). Além disso, não foram encontradas diferenças estatisticamente significativas com base no estado de emprego ou de relacionamento, exceto para a ansiedade (p > 0,05). Discussão: Embora alguns estudos apoiem estes achados, são necessárias mais pesquisas para os corroborar e expandir.
Conclusões: A depressão, a ansiedade e o stresse predizem a alimentação emocional numa amostra de estudantes universitários da Amazónia peruana.
Referências
Alberti, A., Araujo, D. R., Vieira, W. F., Moehlecke, B., Lampert, R. M. F., Traebert, E., Silva, B. B. de, Olivei-ra, B. H. de, Leão, G. M., Souza, G. de, Dallacosta, F. M., Kades, G., Madeira, K., Chupel, M. U., Grossl, F. S., Souza, R., Hur, B., Endrigo, R., Da Silva Sipriano, E., ... Agostinetto, L. (2024). Factors associ-ated with the development of depression and the influence of obesity on depressive disorders: A narrative review. Biomedicines, 12(9), 1994. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12091994
Al-Garni, A. M., Shati, A. A., Almonawar, N. A., Alamri, G. M., Alasmre, L. A., Saad, T. N., Alshehri, F. M., Hammouda, E. A., & Ghazy, R. M. (2025). Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress among students enrolled at King Khalid University: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 25, 354. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21277-7
Antoniadou, M., Manta, G., Kanellopoulou, A., Kalogerakou, T., Satta, A., & Mangoulia, P. (2024). Manag-ing stress and somatization symptoms among students in demanding academic healthcare en-vironments. Healthcare, 12(24), 2522. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12242522
Bagrowska, P., & Gawęda, Ł. (2023). Emotional eating – A response to or one of the causes of paranoia-like thoughts? The bidirectional mediating role of avoidant coping. Psychiatry Research Com-munications, 3(4), 100141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psycom.2023.100141
Bai, F., Zhang, F., & Xue, Y. (2025). Mechanisms of anxiety among doctoral students in China. Behavioral Sciences, 15(2), 105. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15020105
Barbayannis, G., Bandari, M., Zheng, X., Baquerizo, H., Pecor, K. W., & Ming, X. (2022). Academic stress and mental well-being in college students: Correlations, affected groups, and COVID-19. Fron-tiers in Psychology 13, 886344. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.886344
Becerra, B., Hernández, E., Córdova, M., Pastor, N., Melgarejo, W. E., Balbuena, H., & Hernández, M. Á. (2024). Validez estructural y fiabilidad de la escala de depresión, ansiedad y estrés en universi-tarios peruanos. Revista del Hospital Psiquiátrico de La Habana, 21(1), e498. https://revhph.sld.cu/index.php/hph/article/view/498
Camilleri, G. M., Méjean, C., Kesse, E., Andreeva, V. A., Bellisle, F., Hercberg, S., & Péneau, S. (2014). The associations between emotional eating and consumption of energy-dense snack foods are mod-ified by sex and depressive symptomatology. The Journal of Nutrition, 144(8), 1264–1273. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.114.193177
Chawner, L. R., & Filippetti, M. L. (2024). A developmental model of emotional eating. Developmental Review, 72, 101133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2024.101133
Cohen, S., Gianaros, P. J., & Manuck, S. B. (2016). A stage model of stress and disease. Perspectives on Psychological Science: A Journal of the Association for Psychological Science, 11(4), 456–463. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691616646305
Córdova, P., Gasser, P., Naranjo, H., La Fuente, I., Grajeda, A., & Sanjinés, A. (2023). Academic stress as a predictor of mental health in university students. Cogent Education, 10(2), 2232686. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2232686
Cui, L., Li, S., Wang, S., Wu, X., Liu, Y., Yu, W., Wang, Y., Tang, Y., Xia, M., & Li, B. (2024). Major depressive disorder: Hypothesis, mechanism, prevention, and treatment. Signal Transduction and Target-ed Therapy, 9, 30. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-024-01738-y
Dakanalis, A., Mentzelou, M., Papadopoulou, S. K., Papandreou, D., Spanoudaki, M., Vasios, G. K., Pavli-dou, E., Mantzorou, M., & Giaginis, C. (2023). The association of emotional eating with over-weight/obesity, depression, anxiety/stress, and dietary patterns: A review of the current clini-cal evidence. Nutrients, 15(5), 1173. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15051173
Deng, Y., Cherian, J., Khan, N. U. N., Kumari, K., Sial, M. S., Comite, U., Gavurova, B., & Popp, J. (2022). Family and academic stress and their impact on students' depression level and academic per-formance. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 869337. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.869337
Dominguez, S. (2018). Magnitud del efecto, una guía rápida. Educación Médica, 19(4), 251-254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edumed.2017.07.002
Duche, A., Paredes, F., Gutiérrez, O., & Carcausto, L. (2020). Transición secundaria-universidad y la adaptación a la vida universitaria. Revista de Ciencias Sociales, 26(3), 244-258. https://doi.org/10.31876/rcs.v26i3.33245
Duncan, M. J., Patte, K. A., & Leatherdale, S. T. (2021). Mental health associations with academic per-formance and education behaviors in Canadian secondary school students. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 36(4), 335–357. https://doi.org/10.1177/0829573521997311
Estrada, E. G., Cruz, E. O., Quispe, J., Chura, G., Paredes, Y., Quispe, R., & Gallegos, N. A. (2025). Assess-ment of the predictors of lifestyles in university students from the Peruvian Amazon: A cross-sectional study. Retos, 66, 986–999. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v66.113956
Farfán, M., Estrada, E. G., Lavilla, W. G., Ulloa, N. J., Calcina, D. A., Meza, L. A., Yancachajlla, L. I., & Rengifo, S. S. (2023). Mental health in the post-pandemic period: Depression, anxiety, and stress in Peru-vian university students upon return to face-to-face classes. Sustainability, 15(15), 11924. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511924
Fell, J., Chaieb, L., & Hoppe, C. (2023). Mind wandering in anxiety disorders: A status report. Neuroscien-ce & Biobehavioral Reviews, 155, 105432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105432
Fonseca, N. K. O. D., Costa, M. A., Gosmann, N. P., Dalle, R., Gonçalves, F. G., Silva, A. C., Rodrigues, Y., Sil-veira, P. P., & Manfro, G. G. (2023). Emotional eating in women with generalized anxiety disor-der. Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, 45, e20210399. https://doi.org/10.47626/2237-6089-2021-0399
Frayn, M., Livshits, S., & Knäuper, B. (2018). Emotional eating and weight regulation: A qualitative study of compensatory behaviors and concerns. Journal of Eating Disorders, 6, 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-018-0210-6
Fuente, C. E., Chávez, J. L., De la Torre, K., Ronquillo, D., Aguilera, M. L. Á., & Ojeda, L. R. (2022). Relation-ship between emotional eating, consumption of hyperpalatable energy-dense foods, and indica-tors of nutritional status: A systematic review. Journal of Obesity, 2022, 4243868. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4243868
Gravetter, F., & Wallnau, L. (2014). Essentials of statistics for the behavioral sciences (8th ed.). Wadsworth.
Gross, J. J. (1998). The emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review. Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 271–299. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.271
Ha, O., & Lim, S. (2023). The role of emotion in eating behavior and decisions. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1265074. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1265074
Herman, J. P., McKlveen, J. M., Ghosal, S., Kopp, B., Wulsin, A., Makinson, R., Scheimann, J., & Myers, B. (2016). Regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical stress response. Comprehen-sive Physiology, 6(2), 603–621. https://doi.org/10.1002/cphy.c150015
Hostinar, C. E. (2015). Recent developments in the study of social relationships, stress responses, and physical health. Current Opinion in Psychology 5, 90–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.05.004
Houminer, N., Davidovitch, N., & Dopelt, K. (2024). Emotional eating among college students in Israel: A study during times of war. Foods, 13(9), 1347. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13091347
Huang, Y., Hu, Z., Guerrero, A., Brennan, E., & Gonzales, X. F. (2024). Prevalence of depressive symptoms in a predominantly Hispanic/Latinx South Texas community in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare, 12(20), 2035. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12202035
Javadi, E., Bemanian, M., Vold, J. H., Skogen, J. C., Sandal, G. M., Arnesen, E. K., Mæland, S., & Fadnes, L. T. (2023). Emotional eating and changes in consumption of sugar-rich foods and drinks related to psychological distress and worries: A cohort study in Norway. Nutrients, 15(3), 778. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15030778
Jin, L., & Jing, F. (2024). Effects of activity participation and cognitive levels on depression in middle-aged and older adults with chronic illness: A national cross-sectional study. Frontiers in Psy-chology, 15, 1415715. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1415715
Kaner, G., Yurtdaş, G., Çalık, G., Yalçın, T., & Nalçakan, T. (2023). Evaluation of perceived depression, anxiety, stress levels and emotional eating behaviours and their predictors among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Health Nutrition, 26(3), 674–683. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980022002579
Kavvadas, D., Kavvada, A., Karachrysafi, S., Papaliagkas, V., Chatzidimitriou, M., & Papamitsou, T. (2023). Stress, anxiety, and depression levels among university students: Three years from the beginning of the pandemic. Clinics and Practice, 13(3), 596–609. https://doi.org/10.3390/clinpract13030054
Kim, Y., Lee, H., & Park, A. (2022). Patterns of adverse childhood experiences and depressive symp-toms: Self-esteem as a mediating mechanism. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 57(2), 331–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-021-02129-2
Lähdepuro, A., Savolainen, K., Lahti, M., Eriksson, J. G., Lahti, J., Tuovinen, S., Kajantie, E., Pesonen, A., Heinonen, K., & Räikkönen, K. (2019). The impact of early life stress on anxiety symptoms in late adulthood. Scientific Reports, 9, 4395. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-40698-0
Limone, P., & Toto, G. A. (2022). Factors that predispose undergraduates to mental issues: A cumulative literature review for future research perspectives. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 831349. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.831349
Ljubičić, M., Matek, M., Klarin, I., Rumbak, I., Colić, I., Ranilović, J., Dželalija, B., Sarić, A., Nakić, D., Djekic, I., Korzeniowska, M., Bartkiene, E., Papageorgiou, M., Tarcea, M., Černelič, M., Klava, D., Szűcs, V., Vittadini, E., Bolhuis, D., & Guiné, R. P. F. (2023). Emotions and food consumption: Emotional eating behavior in a European population. Foods, 12(4), 872. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12040872
Lopes, A. R., & Nihei, O. K. (2021). Depression, anxiety and stress symptoms in Brazilian university stu-dents during the COVID-19 pandemic: Predictors and association with life satisfaction, psycho-logical well-being and coping strategies. PloS One, 16(10), e0258493. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0258493
Mangoulia, P., Kanellopoulou, A., Manta, G., Chrysochoou, G., Dimitriou, E., Kalogerakou, T., & Antonia-dou, M. (2025). Exploring the levels of stress, anxiety, depression, resilience, hope, and spiritual well-being among Greek dentistry and nursing students in response to academic responsibilities two years after the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare, 13(1), 54. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13010054
Martin, E. I., Ressler, K. J., Binder, E., & Nemeroff, C. B. (2009). The neurobiology of anxiety disorders: Brain imaging, genetics, and psychoneuroendocrinology. The Psychiatric Clinics of North Amer-ica, 32(3), 549–575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2009.05.004
Mofatteh, M. (2021). Risk factors associated with stress, anxiety, and depression among university un-dergraduate students. AIMS Public Health, 8(1), 36–65. https://doi.org/10.3934/publichealth.2021004
Narmandakh, A., Roest, A. M., de Jonge, P., & Oldehinkel, A. J. (2021). Psychosocial and biological risk factors of anxiety disorders in adolescents: A TRAILS report. European Child & Adolescent Psy-chiatry, 30(12), 1969–1982. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-020-01669-3
Niles, A. N., Dour, H. J., Stanton, A. L., Roy, P. P., Stein, M. B., Sullivan, G., Sherbourne, C. D., Rose, R. D., & Craske, M. G. (2015). Anxiety and depressive symptoms and medical illness among adults with anxiety disorders. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 78(2), 109–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2014.11.018
Nkire, N., Nwachukwu, I., Shalaby, R., Hrabok, M., Vuong, W., Gusnowski, A., Surood, S., Greenshaw, A. J., & Agyapong, V. I. O. (2022). COVID-19 pandemic: Influence of relationship status on stress, anx-iety, and depression in Canada. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 39(4), 351–362. https://doi.org/10.1017/ipm.2021.1
Oftedal, S., Fenton, S., Hansen, V., Whatnall, M. C., Ashton, L. M., Haslam, R. L., Hutchesson, M. J., & Dun-can, M. J. (2023). Changes in physical activity, diet, sleep, and mental well-being when starting university: A qualitative exploration of Australian student experiences. Journal of American Col-lege Health: J of ACH, 72(9), 3715–3724. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2023.2194426
Paricahua, J. N., Estrada, E. G., Poma, R. S., Velasquez, L., Herrera, A. J., Cruz, G. J., Guevara, M. F., Mora, O., & Cruz, E. O. (2024). Calidad de sueño, salud mental y actividad física en estudiantes universita-rios de la Amazonía peruana. Retos, 61, 59–68. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v61.109649
Pérez-Jorge, D., Boutaba-Alehyan, M., González-Contreras, A. I., & Pérez-Pérez, I. (2025). Examining the effects of academic stress on student well-being in higher education. Humanities and Social Sci-ences Communications, 12, 449. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04698-y
Perzow, S. E. D., Bray, B. C., Wadsworth, M. E., Young, J. F., & Hankin, B. L. (2021). Individual differences in adolescent coping: Comparing a community sample and a low-SES sample to understand coping in context. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 50(4), 693–710. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01398-z
Ramón, E., Gea, V., Granada, J. M., Juárez, R., Pellicer, B., & Antón, I. (2020). The prevalence of depres-sion, anxiety and stress and their associated factors in college students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(19), 7001. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197001
Reichenberger, J., Schnepper, R., Arend, A. K., & Blechert, J. (2020). Emotional eating in healthy individ-uals and patients with an eating disorder: Evidence from psychometric, experimental and natu-ralistic studies. The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 79(3), 290–299. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665120007004
Remes, O., Mendes, J. F., & Templeton, P. (2021). Biological, psychological, and social determinants of depression: A review of recent literature. Brain Sciences, 11(12), 1633. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11121633
Robinson, O. J., Vytal, K., Cornwell, B. R., & Grillon, C. (2013). The impact of anxiety upon cognition: Per-spectives from human threat of shock studies. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 203. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00203
Saintila, J., Carranza, S. P., Serpa, A., Carranza, R. F., Cunza, D. F., & Calizaya, Y. E. (2024). Depression, anxiety, emotional eating, and body mass index among self-reported vegetarians and non-vegetarians: A cross-sectional study in Peruvian adults. Nutrients, 16(11), 1663. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16111663
Shadrina, M., Bondarenko, E. A., & Slominsky, P. A. (2018). Genetic factors in major depression disease. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9, 334. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00334
Silva, I., Meireles, A. L., Chagas, C. M. D. S., Cardoso, C. S., Oliveira, H. N. D., Freitas, E. D. D., Vidigal, F. D. C., Nobre, L. N., Silva, L. S. D., Paula, W. D., & Ferreira, L. G. (2025). Emotional eating and its rela-tionship with symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic: A multicenter study in college students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(3), 354. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22030354
Silva, M. F., López, J. J., & Columba, M. E. (2020). Estrés académico en estudiantes universitarios. Inves-tigación y Ciencia 28(79), 75–83. https://www.redalyc.org/journal/674/67462875008/67462875008.pdf
Slimmen, S., Timmermans, O., Mikolajczak, K., & Oenema, A. (2022). How stress-related factors affect mental wellbeing of university students: A cross-sectional study to explore the associations be-tween stressors, perceived stress, and mental wellbeing. PloS One, 17(11), e0275925.
Steger, M. F., & Kashdan, T. B. (2009). Depression and everyday social activity, belonging, and well-being. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56(2), 289–300. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015416
Ströhle, A., Gensichen, J., & Domschke, K. (2018). The diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders. Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, 115(37), 611–620. https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.2018.0611
Szymkowicz, S. M., Gerlach, A. R., Homiack, D., & Taylor, W. D. (2023). Biological factors influencing depression in later life: Role of aging processes and treatment implications. Translational Psy-chiatry, 13, 160. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-023-02464-9
Thompson, S., & Romeo, S. (2015). Gender and racial differences in emotional eating, food addiction symptoms, and body weight satisfaction among undergraduates. Journal of Diabetes and Obesi-ty, 2(4), 93–98. https://doi.org/10.15436/2376-0494.15.035
Downloads
Publicado
Edição
Secção
Licença
Direitos de Autor (c) 2025 Edwin Gustavo Estrada-Araoz, Yasser Malaga-Yllpa, Jhemy Quispe-Aquise, Marilú Farfán-Latorre , Willian Gerardo Lavilla-Condori, Gilber Chura-Quispe, Elizabeth Orfelia Cruz-Laricano
Este trabalho encontra-se publicado com a Licença Internacional Creative Commons Atribuição-NãoComercial-SemDerivações 4.0.
Autores que publicam nesta revista concordam com os seguintes termos:
- Autores mantém os direitos autorais e assegurar a revista o direito de ser a primeira publicação da obra como licenciado sob a Licença Creative Commons Attribution que permite que outros para compartilhar o trabalho com o crédito de autoria do trabalho e publicação inicial nesta revista.
- Os autores podem estabelecer acordos adicionais separados para a distribuição não-exclusiva da versão do trabalho publicado na revista (por exemplo, a um repositório institucional, ou publicá-lo em um livro), com reconhecimento de autoria e publicação inicial nesta revista.
- É permitido e os autores são incentivados a divulgar o seu trabalho por via electrónica (por exemplo, em repositórios institucionais ou no seu próprio site), antes e durante o processo de envio, pois pode gerar alterações produtivas, bem como a uma intimação mais Cedo e mais do trabalho publicado (Veja O Efeito do Acesso Livre) (em Inglês).
Esta revista é a "política de acesso aberto" de Boai (1), apoiando os direitos dos usuários de "ler, baixar, copiar, distribuir, imprimir, pesquisar, ou link para os textos completos dos artigos". (1) http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess
