The Role of Perceived Stress in Emerging Adults’ Emotional Eating Behavior

Farzana Reyhan Callysta, Aisha Sekar Lazuardini Rachmanie, S.Psi., M.Psi., Psikolog

2025 | Skripsi | PSIKOLOGI

Makan emosional merupakan strategi koping maladaptif yang dapat berdampak negatif pada kesejahteraan fisik dan psikologis. Penelitian ini menguji apakah persepsi ketidakberdayaan dan persepsi efikasi diri, yakni dua dimensi teoretis yang berbeda dari stres yang dipersepsikan, yang merefleksikan perasaan tidak terkendali dan keyakinan akan kemampuan menghadapi tuntutan, dapat memprediksi makan emosional pada dewasa awal di Indonesia. Hipotesis menyatakan bahwa ketidakberdayaan akan memprediksi makan emosional secara positif, sedangkan efikasi diri akan memprediksi secara negatif. Dengan desain kuantitatif non-eksperimental, partisipan dari berbagai daerah di Indonesia direkrut melalui purposive sampling. Analisis regresi linier berganda menunjukkan bahwa model menjelaskan 7,41% variasi makan emosional (R² = .0741, F(2, 215) = 8.60, p < .001). Persepsi ketidakberdayaan memprediksi makan emosional secara signifikan (? = 0.272, p < .001), sedangkan persepsi efikasi diri tidak signifikan (? = –6.19, p = 0.993). Perempuan melaporkan tingkat stres yang lebih tinggi dibandingkan laki-laki (t(216) = –2.20, p = .029). Meskipun skor makan emosional perempuan sedikit lebih tinggi, perbedaannya tidak mencapai signifikansi konvensional (t(216) = –1.94, p = .053). Temuan yang mendekati signifikan ini menunjukkan bahwa peran gender terhadap makan emosional mungkin ada, tetapi masih memerlukan penelitian lebih lanjut sebelum dapat disimpulkan secara pasti. Temuan ini menegaskan peran yang lebih kuat dari penilaian ketidakberdayaan dalam makan terkait stres, khususnya dalam konteks Indonesia, di mana nilai-nilai kolektivistik dan harapan sosial untuk menjaga keharmonisan dapat memengaruhi cara dewasa awal menilai kemampuan mereka mengendalikan stresor.

Emotional eating is a maladaptive coping strategy that can harm physical and psychological well-being. This study examined whether perceived helplessness and perceived self-efficacy, the two theoretically distinct dimensions of perceived stress that capture feelings of uncontrollability and confidence in coping, predict emotional eating among Indonesian emerging adults. It was hypothesized that helplessness would positively predict emotional eating, whereas self-efficacy would predict it negatively. Using a quantitative non-experimental design, participants from across Indonesia were recruited through purposive sampling and completed the Perceived Stress Scale and the Emotional Eater Questionnaire. Multiple linear regression revealed that the model explained 7.41% of the variance in emotional eating (R² = .0741, F(2, 215) = 8.60, p < .001). Perceived helplessness significantly predicted emotional eating (? = 0.272, p < .001), whereas perceived self-efficacy did not (? = –6.19, p = 0.993). Women reported higher perceived stress than men (t(216) = –2.20, p = .029). Although emotional eating scores were slightly higher among women, the difference did not reach conventional significance (t(216) = –1.94, p = .053). This near-significant trend suggests that gender may play a modest role in stress-related eating, warranting further investigation rather than firm conclusions. These findings highlight the stronger role of helplessness appraisals in stress-related eating, particularly in the Indonesian context, where collectivistic values and social expectations about maintaining harmony may influence how emerging adults appraise control over stressors.

Kata Kunci : emotional eating, stress, emerging adults, makan emosional, stres, dewasa awal