DISTRESS TOLERANCE AND LOSS OF CONTROL EATING: THE EXPLANATORY POWER OF EATING EXPECTANCIES IN A COMMUNITY SAMPLE

Abstract

Loss of control eating (LOCE), operationalized as uncontrolled eating, is a prevalent phenomenon in community populations and a significant predictor of eating psychopathology. Although distress tolerance is a known vulnerability factor, the underlying psychological mechanisms remain poorly understood in non-clinical samples. This study examined whether the expectation that eating alleviates negative affect explains the relationship between distress tolerance and uncontrolled eating in a Portuguese community sample, and whether these variables differ across gender identities. A total of 390 adults (71.7% female; aged 18-30) completed self-report measures: the Distress Tolerance Scale, the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R21 - Uncontrolled Eating subscale, and the Eating Expectancy Inventory - Negative Affect subscale. Pearson correlations, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used. Results revealed that distress tolerance was negatively correlated with both uncontrolled eating and eating expectancies, while eating expectancies positively explain uncontrolled eating. SEM indicated that the direct effect of distress tolerance on uncontrolled eating was not significant (β = -.067, p = .202), whereas the indirect effect through eating expectancies was significant (β = -.143, p < .001), accounting for 14.5% of the variance in uncontrolled eating. No significant differences across gender were found. These findings suggest that the relationship between distress tolerance and uncontrolled eating is statistically explained by the expectation that eating helps reduce negative affect. Implications for gender-inclusive, cognitively focused prevention and intervention programs are discussed.