Attachment style and food addiction: Exploring psychological links

Introduction Behavioral addiction is well-established for gambling but still debatable for other pleasurable behaviors such as eating. Attachment style is defined as a psychological concept describing the dynamics of human interpersonal interactions. Studies investigating the influence of attachment style on food addiction are rare. Objectives The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between food addiction and the quality of attachment Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted online with a non-clinical population. All participants completed an anonymous e-questionnaire containing sociodemographic data, background, substance use and self-reported weight and height. Attachment style was assessed with the Relationship Scale Questionnaire (RSQ). Food addiction was screened with modified Yale food addiction scale questionnaire (mYFAS 2.0). Results A total of 114 individuals had fully responded to the questionnaire. The mean age was 32.28 ± 9.32 years with a sex ratio of 0.48. The mean BMI was 23.7 kg/m2 ± 5.5. Most of participants (64%) had an insecure attachment style and 36% had a secure one. The results of the mYFAS 2.0 showed that 11.4% of participants had a food addiction and 8.8% had a severe form. BMI was significantly associated with food addiction which was more common in participants who had a BMI greater than 22.2 kg/m2. A statically significant association between insecure attachment style and food addiction was found. Conclusions Our study showed the importance of studying attachment style in food addiction. More research is needed to prove the association between food addiction and different attachment styles. Disclosure of Interest None Declared