Data were analyzed in three steps using SPSS 20.0. The results
section only presents the significant results.
First, Student’s t-tests compared obese patients with controls in
term of age and body mass index (BMI). Fisher’s exact tests compared
obese and control groups with regard to education level.
Second, Student’s t-tests compared the obese and control
groups with regard to the hypothesis concerning emotional processes.
Bonferroni corrections controlled for type-I errors. Thus,
the alpha level used was p = .017 for all comparisons. Cohen’s d
was used as a measure of effect size for these comparisons.
Finally, with regard to the second and third hypotheses, linear
regression analyses using the stepwise variable-selection method
determined whether emotional awareness predicted emotional
eating and whether parental bonding predicted emotional awareness
within the obese group (statistical threshold, p = .05).