The experience of stress on eating behaviour in female university students

Abstract

The aim for conducting this research was to explore and obtain a deeper understanding of the lived experience of stress and eating behaviour amongst six female, local university students between the ages of 18-25. This study adopted a qualitative approach, thus enabling the exploration of the unique perspectives of the university students with regards to their experiences with stress. Six semi-structured audio-recorded interviews were conducted, with the participants being recruited through snowball sampling. The data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The analysis of the data revealed six superordinate themes, including; The experience of stress, The relationship between stress and university-life, Changes in eating behaviour, Coping mechanisms, Emotional eating, and Food choice. The findings highlighted the complex relationship between stress and eating behaviour, that was influenced by a plethora of factors. University-life in itself was found to be a major instigator of stress, and in turn, this stress caused changes in eating behaviours; namely, a change in the amount and types of food consumed, with a gravitation towards foods that are more calorie-dense. In addition, binge eating, stress-induced eating, and emotional eating, were all changes in eating behaviours utilised by the students as a way to mitigate their stress. These coping mechanisms were found to do more harm than good, as they had a negative impact on both their physical and mental health. Furthermore, the findings conveyed the significant need to help educate students regarding adaptive coping mechanisms, as opposed to maladaptive coping mechanisms, that would enable them to manage their stress effectively, and in a way that would not be detrimental to their health.