Depression and emotional eating among medical students at a public university in Paraguay

Abstract

Introduction: The concept of "emotional eaters " describes individuals who do not effectively manage their emotions, which is reflected in the changes in their eating patterns. These changes are not necessarily motivated by the physiological need for satiety but rather as a response to emotional states, such as depression. Objective: This study aimed to determine the relationship between emotional eating and depression among medical students. Methodology: This descriptive observational study of prevalence and cross-association, temporally prospective, was conducted among medical students at the National University of Asuncion, Paraguay, between April and May 2019. The Hamilton Depression Scale was used to measure depressive symptoms, and the Emotional Eater Questionnaire by Garaulet et al. was used to assess emotional eating patterns. The analysis was performed with PSPP using statistical tests, such as chi-square, odds ratio, and Spearman's bilateral correlation. Results: A total of 165 medical students were studied (mean age 18.9±1.754; 66.7% were women). Of participants, 52.7% were from the city of Asunción. Regarding emotional eating, 18.2% of respondents reported an emotional eater level. It was found that 88.5% of the participants had some level of depression. An association was found between depression and emotional eating (OR, 4.6; 95%CI=1.237-17.103; p=0.014). A positive correlation was also observed between the scores obtained using the Hamilton Depression Scale and the Emotional Eater Questionnaire of Garaulet et al. (rs=0.36; p<0.001).  Conclusions: This study demonstrated a significant association between depression and emotional eating in medical students, with higher chances of developing emotional eater styles among depressed students and a positive correlation between their severity patterns.