Counterregulation in Female Obese Emotional Eaters: Schachter, Goldman, and Gordon's (1968) Test of Psychosomatic Theory Revisited

In a sample of 31 obese women, the moderating role of restrained, emotional, and external eating (as was measured by the DEBQ) on the relationship between food deprivation and food intake was studied by examining the prediction of grams of cookies eaten by the preload and degree of restrained, external, and emotional eating interactions. In addition, the main effects of each type of eating behaviour on food intake was studied, and also whether any of the effects were attenuated when variance associated with the other types of eating behaviour was partialled out. Emotional eating was found to moderate the relationship between food intake and food deprivation, and this effect became even more pronounced when the variance associated with external eating was removed. Instead of eating less after a preload, emotional eaters ate more, suggesting a counter regulatory eating pattern of female obese emotional eaters. Further, also the main effect of emotional eating on food intake was significant. Both results suggest support for psychosomatic theory.