Overall results (score 56)

John's score indicates he has some tendencies towards emotional eating. He may not use it as his sole coping strategy, but food sometimes provides an emotional crutch for him. He may associate food as a simple comfort after a day of stress or as a reliable companion whenever he needs an emotional boost. Even though his reliance on food is not all-encompassing, he must recognize its toll on his body and psyche. John should take steps now to control his emotional eating before it escalates into a more serious problem.

Emotional Eating Triggers (score 47)

The first step to understanding emotional eating is uncovering what a person's potential triggers are. Based on John's responses, the list below provides information on the circumstances or feelings that trigger him to eat, and those that don't.

Health Locus of Control (score 80)

John feels strongly that his current behaviors can have an impact on his health in both the short and long-term. While genes predetermine some aspects of health and some illnesses can strike randomly and without cause, he realizes that many short-term and even long-term illnesses can be prevented. He doesn't consider himself a victim of his circumstances, and knows that he can control his eating habits or the precursors that lead to emotional eating.

Self-discipline (score 41)

John appears to be moderately self-disciplined. While he is able to overcome some obstacles, there are times when he is unable to motivate himself to do so. The ability to manage his eating habits and prevent himself from over-indulging undoubtedly requires a certain degree of self-discipline, so it is wise that he continue to improve in this area. Otherwise, he may end up falling back into old habits.

Reward Dependence (score 54)

John's results indicate that he is the type of person who is motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. When he strives towards a goal, he is generally able to find the motivation from within, but some external rewards (e.g. praise, material gain, etc.) certainly help as well. On the one hand, this may not be a problem, as long as he doesn't use food as an incentive. However, he should keep in mind that a high need for external reinforcement can make it more challenging to persevere in the long-term.

Sense of Self-efficacy (score 39)

John is generally unaware of his strengths and instead, will often focus on his weaknesses. Confidence is essential to gaining control of one's well-being and life, and to being able to deal with the challenges of overcoming an eating problem. If John approaches the issue with a defeatist attitude and believes he doesn't really have what it takes to manage his eating, it can adversely affect his success. The combination of a poor sense of self-efficacy and a tendency to be an emotional eater can result in a vicious cycle. Basically, the worse John feels about himself, the more apt he is to medicate this feeling with food, which often leads to overeating and the resulting feelings of guilt and shame. This can deal further damage to his sense of self-efficacy.

Depression (score 58)

John responded in a way that indicates moderate depressive symptoms. If his feelings of sadness get any worse, cause problems in his life, or persist for a prolonged period of time (weeks or months), he should consult a professional. In addition, it would be a good idea for him to monitor his moods, particularly if he finds himself reaching for something to eat when feeling down. Depression is often a major trigger to emotional eating.

Anxiety (score 78)

According to John's test results, his level of anxiety is quite high, which means that it has likely become a problem in his life. The most important thing is that he seek professional help in order to take active steps to decrease the frequency and intensity of these emotions. By building up a repertoire of anxiety-coping strategies, he is less likely to turn to unhealthy options, like eating, to deal with his worries. People will often turn to food for comfort when they are feeling anxious or nervous.

Resilience (score 23)

According to John's score on this scale, life's blows will often knock him down and generally leave him unable to function as well as he normally would. Depending on the situation or his mindset at the time, he has some difficulty dealing with both day-to-day and more life-altering problems. When he finds himself in this vulnerable state, he may consider food as a means to make him feel better. Unfortunately, the benefit of this, if any at all, will be short-term. By learning effective strategies to cope with tough times, he will be better equipped to ride out life's hardships.

Anger Control (score 42)

John's overall level of anger control falls in the mid-range. He likely gets angry in certain situations (usually when such a reaction is justified) but doesn't blow up on too many occasions. He seems to have found a balance between accepting the occasional flash of temper and not allowing himself to get worked up over nothing. This is a healthy approach - suppressing anger can be harmful but getting swept away by it can be just as harmful. Both can lead to eating binges in order to relieve tension.

Tolerance for Frustration (score 24)

According to John's results, he seems to have some difficulty tolerating frustration, and this can have a negative impact on his eating habits. People who have a low tolerance for frustration will go to great lengths to find pleasure and avoid discomfort. When faced with unpleasant circumstances or when things don't go their way, they tend to get upset quite easily. They will often go out of their way to put off tasks that they won't enjoy, and will opt for something that is more interesting and pleasurable - they desire immediate gratification. In terms of lifestyle changes, this could result in frustration if John doesn't see immediate results, or an unwillingness to stick to a strict diet or exercise for an extended period of time. In addition, when he is very hungry, he may opt for an easy (and often unhealthy meal) rather than taking the time to cook something that is better for him. John needs to work on being more flexible and willing to adapt to unpleasant or unalterable situations.

Coping Skills (score 47)

John's coping skills appear to be satisfactory. He seems to use a mix of effective and ineffective methods of handling difficult situations. He will likely have some trouble finding ways to deal with hardship in his life if he does not nurture the positive methods of coping that he does use. Working on his coping skills will help him get through tough times in better shape. Review the results below to learn more about the type of coping strategies he uses.

Problem Solving (score 77)

On a fairly regular basis, John uses problem solving as a method of coping with stressors in his life, making concrete plans to try to improve or resolve his situation. Taking active steps can be very empowering, as it gives him something to focus on, helps to provide motivation and gives him something to strive for. However, in some situations, particularly if he has no control of the outcome of a stressful situation, using problem solving as a way of coping may lead to frustration.

Information Seeking (score 90)

When John is experiencing stressful situations, he usually seeks out information from a variety of sources in order to cope. Gathering information can help him deal with a situation for a variety of reasons: it helps him know what to expect, to understand why the circumstances have occurred, and it may help him discover appropriate solutions. Even if what he learns about the source of stress is upsetting, knowing what to expect can help him feel more in control.

Negotiation Skills (score 50)

It appears that John sometimes uses negotiation as a part of his coping repertoire. Negotiation can include compromising with other people when in a stressful conflict situation. It can also mean adjusting his behavior, attitudes, or thinking style in order to adapt to the situation at hand. These are useful strategies because they help him find constructive solutions to problems - adjusting himself is often easier to do than to prevent or totally overcome a stressful situation in life.

Support Seeking (score 53)

John sometimes actively seeks out emotional support from others when under stress. This means that he is taking advantage of a major source of comfort: friends and loved ones. There are several benefits to this coping strategy. Trusting others can help him feel less alone; it also helps build closeness between people. Finally, others may have new perspectives on his problem and may offer him some reliable advice. Although he uses this strategy on some occasions, there are times when he prefers to handle things on his own. When this is the case, it is important to ensure that he is getting the emotional support he needs.

Positive Cognitive Restructuring (score 50)

John sometimes utilizes positive cognitive restructuring as a part of his coping repertoire. When he is under stress, it can be useful to think about the problem in a different manner. If not, his problems can take over, increasing in severity as the other issues in his life seem to shrink in importance. Even for the most severe stressors, such as illness or death of a loved one, it can help to reframe his way of thinking. Strategies such as putting things into perspective, comparing his situation to others who have it worse or looking for the hidden benefits can help him feel better about what he is going through.

Emotional Regulation (score 23)

John rarely tries to self-regulate his emotions when he are under stress. Learning how to relax even in stressful times and finding other outlets for emotions are good strategies, particularly in scenarios where he has little control over the source of stress. He may find himself somewhat tense during difficult periods in his life, and he may find that he is some trouble getting his problems off his mind. People who are in touch with their emotions are able to learn what techniques work for them. This gives them an advantage when coping with life's difficulties.

Distraction (score 34)

John rarely tries to distract himself from stressful situations. While to completely avoid dealing with his hardship is not ideal, no one can afford to think about their problems all the time. Sometimes it can really help to get his mind off things and just have fun. Learning to distract himself even when things are crazy can be a useful coping strategy so long as the things he chooses to help him unwind are not unsafe or harmful to his health.

Rumination (score 97)

John very frequently has trouble controlling his thoughts when he is under stress. Unhealthy levels of rumination can result in a number of problems. It can lead people to allow their troubles to take over their thoughts completely, leaving little room for the enjoyment of the good things in life. It can also lead to depression or other mental health issues. It's fine for John to think about his problems as long as he is able to keep them in perspective, preventing them from taking over his life.

Avoidance (score 35)

John rarely avoids facing his problems and stressors in life. This is good news because people who avoid dealing with their problems will rarely be able to overcome them; that is, unless they are lucky enough to have their problems go away on their own. While it is not always possible to totally overcome a major stressor (after all, not everything in life is within our control), we can always learn to deal with the emotions involved. People who avoid problems will not be able to do this.

Helplessness (score 80)

John very often concedes defeat and just gives up trying to deal with harsh situations in life. He may offer up his fate to external forces, or give up all hope. When people feel helpless, they tend to lose the motivation to do something active to resolve the crisis, and their helplessness may even keep them from even learning to deal with the emotions that arise in stressful situations.

Opposition (score 52)

When pressures in his life abound, John sometimes lashes out at others. This is problematic because people who verbally attack others in times of stress can lose friends; while it can be forgiven every once in a while, people will resent John if stress turns him into a ticking time bomb, ready to blow up at the slightest provocation.

Social Withdrawal (score 46)

John sometimes avoids social contact when feeling stressed. This can be problematic because others will likely want to help him deal with his hardships. Rejecting offers of help and avoiding the people he cares about will only make matters worse. It's important that he avoid isolating himself when he is dealing with stressful situations, as it may deprive him of helpful social assistance - both concrete help from others and emotional support.