Does Social Support Buffer the Association Between Stress Eating and Weight Gain During the Transition to College? Differences by Gender.
Good friends can protect male freshmen from gaining weight when they eat from stress, but the same shield does not appear for women.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Morrison et al. (2017) asked 70 college freshmen about stress eating, social support, and weight gain. They used surveys at the start and end of the first semester.
The team wanted to know if strong friendships could soften the link between stress eating and extra pounds. They looked at men and women separately.
What they found
For male freshmen, having more social support weakened the tie between stress eating and BMI gain. The same buffer did not show up for female students.
In plain words, guys with good friends gained less weight even when they ate from stress. Women saw no such protection.
How this fits with other research
Li et al. (2019) saw a similar buffer in young adults with motor problems. Poor coordination raised distress only when social support was low.
Van Hanegem et al. (2014) studied dietary self-efficacy in college women, but did not test social support as a buffer. Taken together, the two E papers hint that women may rely on different protective factors than men.
Peters et al. (2013) showed that active coping buffers caregiver stress. The pattern repeats: social or coping resources can block stress from harming health, but the resource may differ by group.
Why it matters
If you coach college students or run wellness groups, check social networks for the men. Boosting friendships, group meals, or dorm activities may guard against stress-related weight gain. For women, focus on other skills like self-efficacy or coping plans until more data show what works best.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study sought to examine whether social support moderates the relationship between stress eating and body mass index (BMI) change over the freshman year in males and females. This longitudinal study included 70 college students (72.9% female; M age = 18.23) who completed self-reported measures of stress eating and perceived social support, with objective height and weight measurements collected. Among males, social support moderated the relationship between stress eating and BMI change. Among males, social support may serve as a buffer against the impact of stress eating on weight gain during the freshman year of college.
Behavior modification, 2017 · doi:10.1177/0145445516683924