Chapter 6 152 Table 1 | Needs of individuals with emotional eating related to DERS-SF* subscales To find out whether the needs of individuals with emotional eating as described above could be addressed with the deployment of the personalized virtual coach, three exercises were selected that could have an effect on both positive and negative affect and emotion regulation (last column of Table 1). Body scan Firstly, to tailor to the first need (i.e., the need for insight in bodily sensations), an observational exercise described in the study protocol of Brevers et al. [38] can be used. The observational exercise is aimed at promoting intuitive eating (i.e., attuned, or mindful eating) in obese patients, by encouraging them to become aware of hunger and inner body sensations that might emerge from their emotions [39]. Participants are asked to indicate (before eating): (1) the intensity of hunger (on a 10-point scale), (2) activated or deactivated bodily regions (13 regions in total), and (3) the most relevant affect state. Particularly step two, could be of interest in the current study as it is focused on being aware of sensations in different regions of the body. As the current study focused initially on exploring the effect of the tailored exercises regardless of the context (e.g., food cravings or eating), the first step of the observational exercise was excluded. Furthermore, according to the previously described Levels of Emotional Awareness Theory, individuals who refer to bodily sensations when expressing their emotions (level 1) have difficulties with explicitly stating the emotion that they are feeling (level 3). This difficulty was kept in mind when step three was added to the observational exercise for the current study. The need for… Difficulty with… DERS* subscale Tailored exercise Insight in bodily sensations. Being aware of or paying attention to emotional responses. Awareness Body scan Action plans that inspire alternative behaviour when self-control difficulties are experienced. Inhibiting impulsive behavioural responses. Impulse Opposite action Emotion regulation strategies to effectively regulate emotions, such as agitation, stress & anger. Effectively regulating one’s emotions once upset. Strategies Positive reframing *Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale [38]
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