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Doctoral thesis

Multiple mediators matter: why solely linking emotion regulation difficulties to disturbed eating is not sufficient : an empirical investigation in adolescents and young adults from the general population

PSPE

  • Fribourg (Switzerland), [2025]

1 ressource en ligne (168 pages) ; 1 fichier pdf

PhD: Université de Fribourg (Suisse), 03.07.2025

Emotion Regulation Difficulties
Disturbed Eating
Body Dissatisfaction
Thought-Shape Fusion
Eating Disorders
Youth
Path Model
Émotions
Troubles du comportement alimentaire
Troubles de l'image du corps
Image du corps
Différences entre genres
English Young people frequently report negative perceptions of their bodies and concerns about not being sufficiently lean or muscular. However, little is known about the psychological mechanisms underlying body dissatisfaction (BD). The first publication of this dissertation examined the role of emotion regulation difficulties and appearance-based rejection sensitivity in BD and muscle dysmorphic symptoms among adolescents and young adults from the general population. In a one-year longitudinal study (T1: N = 605, 80% female), both mechanisms were positively associated with BD and muscle dysmorphic symptoms at both assessment waves. These findings highlight their relevance for body image concerns. The second publication focused on disturbed eating and compensatory behaviors (DECB) in young females. A newly developed path model was tested in a cross-sectional sample of 627 women to examine cognitive, physiological, psychological, and body image-related mediators. Body-related cognitive distortions emerged as the most important mediator, both independently and in combination with BD, linking emotion regulation difficulties to DECB. The third publication extended this model to a mixed-gender sample (N = 803, 17% male) and investigated gender differences in the pathways connecting emotion regulation difficulties and DECB. Across both genders, body-related cognitive distortions and BD were key mediators. However, the indirect pathway through cognitive distortions and BD was substantially stronger in females than in males. Overall, the findings emphasize the central role of emotion regulation difficulties and body-related cognitive processes in body image and eating-related pathology and highlight the importance of gender-sensitive prevention and intervention approaches.
Faculty
Faculté des lettres et des sciences humaines
Department
Département de Psychologie
Language
  • English
Classification
Psychology
Notes
  • Bibliographie
License
CC BY
Open access status
diamond
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/336230
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