The association between emotional intelligence and weight loss after a psychoeducational intervention for obese patients.

Introduction: Trait Emotional Intelligence (trait EI) is a construct which takes into account the subjective aspect of human’s emotional experience. Current literature has shown an association between trait EI and health behaviors, with little evidence suggesting that it may be relevant in the context of eating disorders, including obesity. The present study expands these preliminary results, by investigating whether the levels of trait EI impact the outcome (i.e., short and long-term weight change) of a weight-loss psychoeducational intervention for obese patients. Method: A sample of 164 obese patients undergoing an in-hospital psychoeducational group intervention was recruited between May 2014 and January 2016. Each patient completed a set of self-report questionnaires including the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Binge Eating Scale. Independent assessments were performed pre-treatment and post-treatment at 2- and 12-week follow-ups at the S. Orsola Malpighi Hospital (Bologna). At each time point body weight and other medical were also measured. Correlations and ANOVAs will be used as analytic strategy. Results: Our results show that EI is a significant predictor of body-weight loss in obese patients even at three months after the end of the treatment. Additional results will be presented at the conference. Conclusion: We assume that, along with weight changes, affect-related psychological variables may be related to treatment success. For such reason, EI should be taken into account in developing effective interventions targeting obesity.