Coping under Crisis: The interplay between psychological capital, anxiety, and emotional eating in conflict zones

This study explored relations between psychological capital (PsyCap), anxiety, and emotional eating in the context of the October 7 war in Israel. PsyCap, encompassing self-efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimism, is essential for coping with adversity, while emotional eating is a maladaptive response to psychological distress. Specific objectives included examining how stress and anxiety mediated relations between PsyCap and emotional eating and evaluating psychological responses under varying exposure to conflict. Data were collected from 246 Israelis before and during the war using validated questionnaires. Findings showed increased PsyCap directly reduced anxiety and indirectly decreased emotional eating in the whole sample. Interestingly, no significant differences were observed between pre-war and during-war participants in PsyCap, anxiety, or emotional eating. This may reflect the adaptive coping mechanisms developed in populations with prolonged exposure to conflict. The study highlights the crucial role of PsyCap in reducing emotional eating through its impact on anxiety, supporting a full mediation pathway whereby PsyCap lowers anxiety, which in turn, reduces emotional eating, particularly in high-stress contexts. The results highlight the importance of trauma-informed interventions that enhance PsyCap, focusing on building resilience and hope to support psychological well-being and reduce reliance on maladaptive coping strategies.