Affiliations: [a] Postgraduate Course of Science of Stress and Health Promotion, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| [b]
Human Ecology Laboratory, Department of Economics & Sustainable Development, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece
| [c]
First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, “Aghia Sophia” Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Maria Michou, Department of Economics & Sustainable Development, Harokopio University of Athens, 70, El. Venizelou Ave, Kallithea, Athens 17671, Greece. Tel.: +0030 210 954 9368; E-mail: mariamixou@hotmail.com.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:It is widely known that excessive or prolonged stress in humans, can negatively affect eating behavior. OBJECTIVE:The aim of the study was to validate the Salzburg Stress Eating Scale (SSES) in the Greek language and to examine its psychometric properties, in a sample of adults, in Greece. METHODS:An online survey was conducted. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ) R-18 and two subscales of the Dutch Eating Behavior questionnaire (DEBQ) were used, together with the SSES. Certain sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics were also assessed. Exploratory Factor analysis (EFA), Cronbach’s α and Spearman’s rho were used. RESULTS:The sample consisted of 368 participants (51.1% women) and the mean age of the participants was 35 years. EFA indicated one factor in SSES with Eigenvalues > 1, which explained the 54.6% of total variance. The Cronbach’s Alpha was 0.920. SSES was significantly positively correlated with the subscales of the DEBQ (for the Restrained Eating subscale r = 0.147 and for the Emotional Eating subscale r = 0.615, p < 0.001) and was significantly negatively correlated with two subscales of the TEFQ (for the TFEQ1 r = – 0.233 and for the TFEQ2 r = – 0.562, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS:The Greek version of SSES is a reliable tool for assessing changes in eating behavior, in relation to stress.
