Do Emotions Run Differently with Gender? A Cross-sectional Investigation on the Gender-Related Disparities in Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Eating among Varsity Sprinters

Abstract

After a long term and consistent focus on the psychological well-being of varsity students and athletes separately, the attention of the relevant practitioners and researchers has been shifted towards varsity athletes. Particularly, varsity sprinters may fall among the most influenced varsity athlete group. Consistent exposure to these negative psychological factors may promote emotional dysregulation while leading them to low Emotional Intelligence (EI) and elevated Emotional Eating (EmE) behaviors. Gender, in addition, might also emerge as a pivotal variable in the exploration of both EI and EmE. This study, therefore, sought to explore the gender-related disparities in both EI and EmE behaviors among varsity sprinters. A final sample of 116 varsity sprinters of which 74 were male sprinters and 42 were female sprinters were included in the analysis. A demographic tool comprising of personal information related questions, BEIS-10 and EEQ were utilized for gathering data. The Mann-Whitney U test and two-step hierarchical multiple regression analysis were applied on the gathered data. The results revealed that the EmE behaviors were notably high among female varsity sprinters as compared to male varsity sprinters. Consistently, male varsity sprinters reported high scores on all components of EI than female varsity sprinters. Lastly, for the possible predictors of EmE behavior among varsity sprinters, gender remained the only significant predictor while confirming its dominant role in predicting EmE behaviors among varsity sprinters. These findings highlight the need for gender-specific interventions that may address emotional regulation strategies beyond general EI skills among varsity sprinters.