This study aimed to: (1) determine whether obese women have deficits in emotional awareness and more
frequently use emotional eating to regulate their emotions, (2) assess the impact of emotional awareness
on the use of emotional eating, and (3) explore the impact of parental bonding on patient level of emotional
awareness. A sample of 94 obese women was compared with 56 control participants. All participants
answered questionnaires concerning their eating habits (Dutch Emotional Behavior
Questionnaire), emotional awareness (Level of Emotional Awareness Scale) and parental bonding (Parental
Bonding Inventory). Obese women exhibited deficits in emotional awareness and used emotional eating
as an emotion regulation strategy more often than controls. Regression analyses showed that paternal
and maternal overprotection negatively influenced obese patients’ levels of emotional awareness and
that emotional awareness positively influenced their emotional eating.