The Structural Model of Brain- Behavioral Systems, Impulsivity, Alexithymia and Cognitive Emotion Regulation with Eating Behavior

Considering the prevalence of obesity, it is important to examine the factors that affect it. Recent study investigated the relationship among brain-behavioral systems, impulsivity, alexithymia, cognitive emotion regulation (adaptive and maladaptive) and eating behaviors. This was a cross-sectional study. The statistical population consisted of women and men with overweight and obesity referring to health centers, and sports clubs of Tehran in autumn and winter of 2016-2017, selected by convenient sampling, 500 of them were selected. The data were collected through the Duct behavior questionnaire, Cognitive Emotion Regulation, Measurement of Inhibition / Behavioral Activation Systems, Barrett-11's impulsiveness and Toronto's alexithymia. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling in SPSS21 and AMOS software. Except for the regression coefficient, all direct and indirect path coefficients between adaptive cognitive emotion regulation and eating behaviors are significant (P<0.05), and predictive variables explain 58.6% of the variance of eating behaviors (P<0.05). Also, the findings showed that adaptive and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation, relatively mediated the relationship between brain-behavioral systems, impulsivity, alexithymia and eating behaviors. Finally, it was determined that the model (after the modification was conducted based on statistical results and theoretical views) fit better the observed data. The variables of brain-behavioral systems, impulsivity, alexithymia and cognitive-emotional regulation play an important role in predicting eating behaviors in overweight and obesity patients, thus, in their efforts to prevent and treat overweight and obesity, as well as to preserve the therapeutic effects, these variables should be considered.