Association Between Stress and Night Eating Syndrome Among University Students

Waad Alfawaz^1, , Rana W. Barri¹, Rand A. Alhjjy¹, Madawi Aldhwayan¹ and Ghadeer S. Aljuraiban¹

¹Department of Community Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University

Cite this paper:
Waad Alfawaz, Rana W. Barri, Rand A. Alhjjy, Madawi Aldhwayan and Ghadeer S. Aljuraiban. Association Between Stress and Night Eating Syndrome Among University Students. Journal of Food and Nutrition Research. 2024; 12(6):344-348. doi: 10.12691/jfnr-12-6-3

Abstract

Background: Night eating syndrome (NES) is a common disorder observed among not only individuals with obesity but also those with psychological disorders such as de-pression, anxiety, and stress. Identifying an association between NES and stress among young adults can aid in the prevention of obesity and other comorbidities. Objectives: To investigate the association between stress and NES among Saudi students. Methods: The cross-sectional study involved 331 healthy students aged 18 years and above from King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 item questionnaire was used to evaluate stress symptoms among the par-ticipants, while the Night Eating Questionnaire was used to assess eating patterns. Of the 331 participants, 53% exhibited symptoms of NES and 40.5% scored above the cut-off point for stress. Results: Psychological distress, including stress, and NES were significantly positively correlated (P < 0.001). The correlation coefficients for stress, anxiety, and depression were 0.413**, 0.429**, and 0.455**, respectively (P < 0.001), indicating that the levels of night eating and stress, anxiety, and depression were moderately positively correlated. Conclusion: Further research, encompassing different Saudi universities from various regions, is required to confirm the association between NES and stress.

Keywords:
obesity night eating psychological distress stress weight

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