Psychobehavioral profiles of eating risk: schema-emotion regulation patterns differ in central adiposity with genotype (FTO rs9939609) as external validator-a pilot study.

Résumé

PURPOSE: To identify person-centered psychological profiles of eating-related risk based on early maladaptive schemas (EMS), emotion regulation difficulties, and eating behaviors, and to examine their external validation using anthropometric indices (BMI, waist circumference, WC) and the FTO rs9939609 genotype.METHODS: Fifty women aged 18-35 years (approximately balanced between normal weight and overweight/obese groups) completed the YSQ-S3, DERS-36, and QERB. Standardized variables were clustered with k-means (k = 2-4); the optimal solution was selected via silhouette and BIC with stability checks. BMI and WC were used for external validation; FTO rs9939609 (AA/AT/TT) was examined using χ/Fisher's tests.RESULTS: A two-cluster solution best fit the data. Cluster 1 (n = 23) showed higher EMS, greater emotion dysregulation, and higher emotional/habitual overeating, alongside higher restraint, whereas Cluster 2 (n = 27) showed a consistently lower-risk profile. Cluster 1 presented higher WC (M = 92.74 cm, SD = 12.86) and BMI (M = 30.44, SD = 5.18) than Cluster 2 (WC: M = 75.19 cm, SD = 18.60; BMI: M = 22.65, SD = 4.15); differences were significant in parametric and nonparametric tests (all p