Affective and Social Predictors of Food Consumption During the COVID-19 Lockdown

Autor(en)

Ana Stijovic, Paul Forbes, Ekaterina Pronizius, Anja Feneberg, Giulio Piperno, Urs M. Nater, Claus Lamm, Giorgia Silani

Abstrakt

Background: COVID-19 lockdowns were linked to a surge in unhealthy food–related behaviors, potentially as an attempt to cope with disrupted social homeostasis. Here, we tested bidirectional associations between momentary psychological states and prospective food consumption and the moderation of these associations by quality and quantity of social interactions. Methods: We conducted a preregistered ecological momentary assessment study in Austria, Italy, and Germany during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Multiple times a day for 7 consecutive days, 798 participants (557 women, mean age = 31.88 years) reported on momentary stress; mood; wanting of food rich in sugar, fat, and salt; consumption and enjoyment since the last prompt; and quantity and quality of social interactions since the last prompt. Results: Momentary stress was positively linked to food wanting, but not to prospective food consumption. Mood valence and energetic arousal positively predicted prospective food consumption and enjoyment. The effect of mood valence was especially prominent when participants reported having more social interactions. Food consumption was linked to a prospective reduction in stress and an increase in calmness, suggesting that it has regulatory functions for affective states. Exploratory findings showed that some of these effects generalize to other reward types. Conclusions: During the lockdown, food may have been used to maintain an already positive affective state rather than upregulating an aversive state. Social facilitation of eating may have been especially prominent due to the prioritization of social needs at the start of an extraordinarily challenging period, possibly orchestrated by the postulated social homeostasis system.

Organisation(en)

Institut für Klinische und Gesundheitspsychologie, Institut für Psychologie der Kognition, Emotion und Methoden, Forschungsplattform The Stress of Life - Processes and Mechanisms underlying Everyday Life Stress

Externe Organisation(en)

Comparative Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Department of Cognition, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Université catholique de Louvain, Universität Münster, Università degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza

Journal

Biological Psychiatry

Band

97

Seiten

1002-1010

Anzahl der Seiten

9

ISSN

0006-3223

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.02.007

Publikationsdatum

05-2025

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

501010 Klinische Psychologie

Schlagwörter

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Biological Psychiatry

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/efa860e4-d99e-45ba-bae8-2827f237fd5e