Effect of interpersonal conflicts and the moderating effect of the dispositional need to belong on binge eating

Abstract

The dispositional need to belong (dNTB) is a stable desire to connect with others and belong to groups. Recently, it has been stated that dNTB can alter immediate post-interpersonal conflict behavior. Interpersonal conflict stress is one of the triggers of binge eating. An individual's vulnerability to binge eating in response to interpersonal conflicts before it becomes a disorder has not been investigated from the perspective of the interaction between interpersonal conflict and dNTB. We conducted two studies examining the relationships between interpersonal conflicts and dNTB and the frequency of binge eating behavior in daily life. Conflicting predictions have been made about whether people with a high dNTB eat more after interpersonal conflict than those with a low dNTB. In Study 1, 199 university students answered the survey concerning their dNTB and frequency of interpersonal conflict and binge eating. The results revealed that higher dNTB is associated with more frequent binge eating when individuals face interpersonal conflict. In Study 2, 416 adults throughout Japan participated in the same survey; the results replicated those from Study 1. For exploratory purposes, mental health and other eating behaviors (restrained, emotional, and external eating) were measured in Studies 1 and 2, respectively. However, the moderation effects of dNTB on these eating behaviors were not observed. Previous studies suggested that individuals with a low dNTB ate more in response to social exclusion. This might be due to an immediate interpersonal stress reaction to social exclusion. Conversely, this study's results implicate that the modulation effects of dNTB on excessive eating habits are different from those immediately following interpersonal conflict.