Background: Some recent studies have reported strong links between obesity and ADHD in adults; however, to date, little work has focussed on possible behavioural mechanisms that could account for this association.
Method: This study used structural equation modelling (SEM) in a sample of healthy adult women to test the predictions that ADHD symptoms predict aspects of overeating, including binge eating and emotionally-induced eating, which in turn are positively correlated with Body Mass Index.
Results: The SEM produced a non-significant chi-square and both the measurement model and the structural model fit the data very well.
Conclusions: Plausible mechanisms are discussed to help explain how the symptomatology of ADHD could foster different forms of overeating.