Positive and negative affect in the relationship between anxiety, depression, and emotional eating in migrants

Introduction: Migration affects people’s lives, including their behaviours which impact both physical and mental health. Anxiety and depressive symptoms in migrants have been linked to negative physical and mental health outcomes associated with eating behaviour. This study aimed to analyse the mediating impact of positive and negative affect on the relationship between anxiety and depressive symptoms and emotional eating in migrants. Method: A sample of 922 Colombian migrants in Chile participated in the study. The Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire were used for data collection. Mediation analysis was conducted using structural equation models. Results: Anxiety and depression correlated positively. Anxiety presented positive results on negative affect and emotional eating and negative results on positive affect. Depression had positive impacts on negative affect and emotional eating and negative impacts on positive affect. Only negative affect presented significant positive results on emotional eating. Only negative affect presented a specific and statistically significant indirect influence on anxiety and emotional eating. Positive affect and negative affect jointly presented a total and statistically significant indirect effect between anxiety and EE and between depression and emotional eating. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of how negative affect mediates the relationship between anxiety and depressive symptoms and emotional eating.