An investigation of the eating attitudes and coping ways with stress among medical students

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of the current study is to investigate the eating attitudes, coping ways and their relationships among medical students.

Methods: A total of 100 medical students from all class levels of the medical school (except first and final year undergraduates) consisted of the research sample. Demographic Information Form, Eating Attitude Test and Coping with Stress Scale were filled by participants. SPSS 21.0 was used to analyze the data obtained.

Results: Findings of the study showed no significant differences between abnormal and normal eating attitude groups in terms of demographic variables (gender, age and body mass index, class levels). In addition, there was no significant difference between the groups with regard to avoidance coping score and problem focused coping score. However, there was a significant difference between eating attitude groups in terms of seeking social support score. The mean of social support score is higher in the abnormal eating attitude group.

Conclusions: According to our results, abnormal eating attitude group uses more seeking social support coping than normal eating attitude group. 

Keywords

• Eating attitude
• coping ways with stress
• medical students

References

1. 1. Levine AS, Billington CJ. Why do we eat? A neural systems approach. Annu Rev Nutr 1997;17:597-619.
2. 2. Popkin BM, Duffey K, Gordon-Larsen P. Environmental influences on food choice, physical activity, and energy balance. Physiol Behav 2005;86:603-13.
3. 3. Alvarenga MS, Scagliusi FB, Philippi ST. Development and validity of the disordered eating attitude scale (DEAS). Percept Mot Skills 2010;110:379-95.
4. 4. Leichner P, Arnett J, Rallo JS, Srikameswaran S, Vulcano B. An epidemiologic study of maladaptive eating attitudes in a Canadian school age population. Int J Eat Disord 1986;5:969-82.
5. 5. Kumcağız H, Şahin C, Alakuş K, Akbaş M. The role of hope and negative thoughts in predicting eating attitudes. IJOESS 2017;8:939-54.
6. 6. Hung C. Coping strategies of primary school teachers in Taiwan experiencing stress because of teacher surplus. Soc Behav Pers 2011;39:1161-74.
7. 7. Wardle J, Gibson EL. Impact of stress on diet: process and implications. In: Stansfield S, Marmot M, editors. Stress and the heart. Psychosocial pathways to coronary heart disease. London: BMJ Publishing Group; 2002:124-49.
8. 8. Michaud C, Kahn JP, Musse N, Burlet C, Nicolas JP, Mejean L. Relationships between a critical life event and eating behavior in high-school students. Stress Med 1990;6:57-64.

9. 9. Strober M. Stressful life events associated with bulimia in anorexia nervosa: empirical findings and theoretical speculations. Int J Eat Disord 1984;3:3-16.
10. 10. Popper R, Smits G, Meiselman HL, Hirsch E. Eating in combat: a survey of U.S. Marines. Mil Med 1989;154:619-23.
11. 11. Seymeur M, Hoerr SL, Huang Y. Inappropriate dieting behaviors and related lifestyle factors in young adults: are college students different? J Nutr Educ 1997;29:21-5.
12. 12. Thorsteinsdottir G, Ulfarsdottir L. Eating Disorders in College Students in Iceland. Eur J Psychiat 2008;22:107-15.
13. 13. Hoerr SL, Bokram R, Lugo B, Bivins T, Keast DR. Risk for disordered eating relates to both gender and ethnicity for college students. J Am Coll Nutr 2002;21:307-14.
14. 14. Işık B. [Determining the Eating Disorders in the Students of Uludag University]. Published doctoral dissertation. Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey. 2009. [Article in Turkish]
15. 15. Folkman S, Lazarus RS. An analysis of coping in a middle-aged community sample. J Health Soc Behav 1980;21:219-39.
16. 16. Tobin DL, Holroyd KA, Reynolds RV, Wigal JK. The Hierarchical factor structure of the coping strategies inventory. Cogn Ther Res 1989;13:343-61.
17. 17. Billings AG, Moos RH. The role of coping responses and social resources in attenuating the stress of life events. J Behav Med 1981;4:139-57.
18. 18. Roth S, Cohen LJ. Approach, avoidance, and coping with stress. American Psychologist 1986;41:813-9.
19. 19. Shaikh BT, Kahloon A, Kazmı M, Khalid H, Nawaz K, Khan N, et al. Students, stress and coping strategies: a case of Pakistani medical school. Educ Health 2004;17:346-53.
20. 20. Helmers KF, Danoff D, Steinert Y, Leyton M, Young SN. Stress and depressed mood in medical students, law students, and graduate students at McGill University. Acad Med 1997;72:708-14.
21. 21. Aytin N. [Examining the relationship between eating attitude, social problem solving and parental bonding in adolescents]. Unpublished master’s thesis. Adnan Menderes University, Aydın, Turkey. 2014. [Article in Turkish]
22. 22. Çakırlı Alşan Z. [The relationship between abnormal eating attitudes and behaviors and family environment self-esteem and perfectionism]. Published master’s thesis. Istanbul University, İstanbul, Turkey. 2005. [Article in Turkish]
23. 23. Meyer C, Waller G. The impact of emotion upon eating behavior: the role of subliminal visual processing of threat cues. Int J Eat Disord 1999;25:319-26.
24. 24. Garner DM, Garfinkel PE. The eating attitudes test: an index of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Psychol Med 1979;9:273-9.
25. 25. Savaşır I, Erol N. Yeme Tutum Testi: Anoreksiya nervoza belirtiler endeksi. Turk Psikoloji Dergisi 1989;7:19-25. [Article in Turkish]
26. 26. Türküm AS. Stresle Başa Çıkma Ölçeğinin Geliştirilmesi: Geçerlik ve Güvenirlik Çalışmaları, Türk Psikolojik Danışma ve Rehberlik Dergisi 2002;2:25-34. [Article in Turkish]
27. 27. Khalid S, Razia ET, Raza MH, Sheikh H, Salman M, Shehzadi N, et al. It’s not just a “female issue”: eating attitudes and behaviors of Pakistani male and female pharmacy students. Russ Open Med J 2017;6:e0406.
28. 28. Memon AA, Adil SE, Siddiqui EU, Naeem SS, Ali SA, Mehmood K. Eating disorders in medical students of Karachi, Pakistan-a cross-sectional study. BMC Res Notes 2012;5:84.
29. 29. Huon G, Lim J. The emergence of dieting among female adolescents: age, body mass index, and seasonal effects. Int J Eat Disord 2000;28:221-5.
30. 30. Wilson G, Eldredge K. Frequency of binge eating in bulimic patients: diagnostic validity. Int J Eating Disord 1991;10:557-61.
31. 31. Ball K, Lee C. Relationships between psychological stress, coping and disordered eating: a review. Psychol Health 2000;14:1007-35.
32. 32. Odacı H, Çıkrıkçı Ö. University students’ ways of coping with stress, life satisfaction and subjective well-being. TOJCE 2012;1:117-30.
33. 33. Troop NA, Holbrey A, Trowler R, Treasure JL. Ways of coping in women with eating disorders. J Nerv Ment Dis 1994;182:535-40.
34. 34. Mayhew R, Edelmann R. Self-esteem, irrational beliefs, and coping strategies in relation to eating problems in a nonclinical population. Pers Indiv Diff 1989;10:581-4.
35. 35. Paxton SJ, Diggens 1. Avoidance coping, binge eating, and depression: an examination of the escape theory of binge eating. Int J Eat Disord 1997;22:83-7.