Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

1-1-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. in Psychology

First Advisor

John Young

Second Advisor

Todd Smitherman

Third Advisor

Aaron Lee

Relational Format

dissertation/thesis

Abstract

Obesity is a chronic disease and classified as a global epidemic. Its incidence has rapidly increased worldwide, particularly within the United States where associated adverse health consequences have led to substantial increases in premature mortality, health-care utilization, and spending. Given the biopsychosocial nature of obesity, it can be considered a preventable health-risk that is a major public health concern. Associated risk factors, such as insufficient quality and quantity of sleep, binge eating, and night eating, could worsen health outcomes, as research suggests these symptoms rarely occur in isolation and are more frequent in individuals with higher body mass index. In turn, these elevations have been shown to impact the prevalence of behavioral and psychological symptoms in clinically-obese samples. Evaluating psychosocial functioning, including sleep and eating patterns, is required as part of preoperative assessments for bariatric surgery, affording an opportune context to examine the relations among these constructs. The present study thus examined the interaction of sleep disturbance, binge eating, and night eating in a sample of individuals with obesity seeking pre-surgical psychological evaluations. The results revealed significant associations between sleep, binge eating, and night eating. Furthermore, the study found binge eating mediated the direct effect of sleep on night eating, indicating an increase in night eating symptoms with a higher propensity for binge eating. The possible implications of these findings are discussed, including potential avenues for addressing disturbed sleep as a means of reducing and controlling weight.

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