The study’s objectives were to adapt the Salzburg Stress Eating Scale (SSES) to Brazilian Portuguese, estimate its psychometric properties in a sample of young adults, and verify (separately for each sex) the relationship between age and BMI and dietary intake during stress. Adaptation of the SSES to Portuguese was performed according to the consolidated protocol. The psychometric properties were estimated for each sex based on factor and convergent validities and reliability. Invariance was tested in independent subsamples for each sex. The relationship between age and bod mass index (BMI) and dietary intake during stress was investigated for each sex using structural equation modeling. Prevalence of individuals in categories that represented maintenance, reduction, or increases in dietary intake in the face of stress was calculated. Participation in the study included 1,030 individuals (61.8% women) with a mean age of 25.5 (SD = 5.3) years. The original model of the SSES presented good fit for the female sample, but for the male sample one item was excluded and a residual correlation was inserted. These models were invariant in independent subsamples. High BMI influenced dietary intake in the face of stress. Men maintained their habitual diet, while women increased their dietary intake during stress. The Portuguese version of the SSES will be useful for investigating dietary intake during stress in Brazil. Different models of SESS were adjusted for each sex. BMI was a significant variable for assessing dietary intake in the face of stress.
Keywords:
Emotional Distress; Diet; Psychometric; Validation Study