Internet addiction as a predictor of emotional eating in young adults: the incremental role of psychological variables

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to investigate factors associated with emotional eating, with a particular focus on internet addiction, happiness, and depression, while controlling for demographic and anthropometric variables in a large sample of young adults. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 1,808 young adults. Data were collected using the Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ), Young's Internet Addiction Test-Short Form (YIAT-SF), Happiness Scale (HS), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the independent and incremental contributions of demographic variables, internet addiction, and psychological variables (happiness and depression) in explaining emotional eating. Results: Higher internet addiction and depression were associated with higher emotional eating, while happiness showed an inverse association. In hierarchical regression, demographic and anthropometric variables explained 8.2% of the variance (R-2 = 0.082, F change = 23.094, p < 0.001). Adding internet addiction increased the explained variance to 27.8% (Delta R-2 = 0.195, F change = 485.930, p < 0.001), and including psychological variables further improved the model (R-2 = 0.310, Delta R-2 = 0.033, F change = 42.795, p < 0.001). In the final model, internet addiction (beta = 0.408, p < 0.001), BMI (beta = 0.241, p < 0.001), depression (beta = 0.194, p < 0.001), and gender (beta = 0.185, p < 0.001) were significant predictors, whereas happiness was not statistically significant (beta = 0.005, p = 0.822). The final model accounted for 31.0% of the variance in emotional eating [F(10, 1797) = 80.89, p < 0.001]. Conclusion: Emotional eating appears to be associated not only with psychological distress but also with maladaptive behavioral patterns such as problematic internet use. Interventions targeting emotional eating should consider both psychological well-being and digital behavior patterns, particularly in young adults.