Emotion dysregulation and eating disorder symptoms: examining distinct associations and interactions in adolescents

Nora Trompeter; Kay Bussey; Miriam K. Forbes; Phillipa Hay; Mandy Goldstein; Christopher Thornton; Christopher Basten; Gabriella Heruc; Marion Roberts; Susan Byrne; Scott Griffiths; Alexandra Lonergan; Deborah Mitchison

doi:10.1007/s10802-022-00898-1

Emotion dysregulation and eating disorder symptoms: examining distinct associations and interactions in adolescents

Nora Trompeter^*, Kay Bussey, Miriam K. Forbes, Phillipa Hay, Mandy Goldstein, Christopher Thornton, Christopher Basten, Gabriella Heruc, Marion Roberts, Susan Byrne, Scott Griffiths, Alexandra Lonergan, Deborah Mitchison

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

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Abstract

Emotion dysregulation has been posited as a key transdiagnostic factor of mental health difficulties, including eating disorders. However, how this transdiagnostic factor interacts with the disorder-specific factor of weight and shape concerns remains unclear. The current study examined whether emotion dysregulation is associated with eating disorder behaviors over and above the association between weight and shape concerns and whether these two factors interacted. The current study used data from two samples, a community sample of high school students (n = 2699), and a clinical sample of adolescents receiving outpatient treatment for an eating disorder (n = 149). Participants completed self-report measures on their eating behaviors, weight/shape concerns, and emotion dysregulation. Findings showed that emotion dysregulation had a unique association with engaging in binge eating and purging (community sample only). Weight and shape concerns were found to have a unique association with engaging in binge eating, fasting, purging, and driven exercise (community sample only). Additionally, weight and shape concerns moderated the association between emotion dysregulation and the probability of engaging in binge eating and driven exercise, whereby the strongest association between emotion dysregulation and these behaviors were observed among adolescents with the lowest levels of weight and shape concerns. Regarding the frequency of eating disorder behaviors, emotion dysregulation had a unique association with severity of binge eating and fasting. Weight and shape concerns were uniquely associated with severity of fasting and driven exercise (community sample only). Findings suggest that emotion dysregulation is a distinct factor of eating disorder behaviors among adolescents.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	683–694
Number of pages	12
Journal	Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
Volume	50
Issue number	5
Early online date	14 Jan 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-022-00898-1
Publication status	Published - May 2022

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2022. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

emotion dysregulation
weight and shape concerns
eating disorders
disordered eating
adolescence

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10.1007/s10802-022-00898-1Licence: CC BY

Publisher version (open access)Final published version, 865 KBLicence: CC BY

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Trompeter, N., Bussey, K., Forbes, M. K., Hay, P., Goldstein, M., Thornton, C., Basten, C., Heruc, G., Roberts, M., Byrne, S., Griffiths, S., Lonergan, A., & Mitchison, D. (2022). Emotion dysregulation and eating disorder symptoms: examining distinct associations and interactions in adolescents. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 50(5), 683–694. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-022-00898-1

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title = "Emotion dysregulation and eating disorder symptoms: examining distinct associations and interactions in adolescents",

abstract = "Emotion dysregulation has been posited as a key transdiagnostic factor of mental health difficulties, including eating disorders. However, how this transdiagnostic factor interacts with the disorder-specific factor of weight and shape concerns remains unclear. The current study examined whether emotion dysregulation is associated with eating disorder behaviors over and above the association between weight and shape concerns and whether these two factors interacted. The current study used data from two samples, a community sample of high school students (n = 2699), and a clinical sample of adolescents receiving outpatient treatment for an eating disorder (n = 149). Participants completed self-report measures on their eating behaviors, weight/shape concerns, and emotion dysregulation. Findings showed that emotion dysregulation had a unique association with engaging in binge eating and purging (community sample only). Weight and shape concerns were found to have a unique association with engaging in binge eating, fasting, purging, and driven exercise (community sample only). Additionally, weight and shape concerns moderated the association between emotion dysregulation and the probability of engaging in binge eating and driven exercise, whereby the strongest association between emotion dysregulation and these behaviors were observed among adolescents with the lowest levels of weight and shape concerns. Regarding the frequency of eating disorder behaviors, emotion dysregulation had a unique association with severity of binge eating and fasting. Weight and shape concerns were uniquely associated with severity of fasting and driven exercise (community sample only). Findings suggest that emotion dysregulation is a distinct factor of eating disorder behaviors among adolescents.",

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author = "Nora Trompeter and Kay Bussey and Forbes, \{Miriam K.\} and Phillipa Hay and Mandy Goldstein and Christopher Thornton and Christopher Basten and Gabriella Heruc and Marion Roberts and Susan Byrne and Scott Griffiths and Alexandra Lonergan and Deborah Mitchison",

note = "Copyright the Author(s) 2022. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.",

year = "2022",

month = may,

doi = "10.1007/s10802-022-00898-1",

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Trompeter, N, Bussey, K , Forbes, MK, Hay, P, Goldstein, M, Thornton, C, Basten, C, Heruc, G, Roberts, M, Byrne, S, Griffiths, S, Lonergan, A & Mitchison, D 2022, 'Emotion dysregulation and eating disorder symptoms: examining distinct associations and interactions in adolescents', Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, vol. 50, no. 5, pp. 683–694. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-022-00898-1

TY - JOUR

T1 - Emotion dysregulation and eating disorder symptoms

T2 - examining distinct associations and interactions in adolescents

AU - Trompeter, Nora

AU - Bussey, Kay

AU - Forbes, Miriam K.

AU - Hay, Phillipa

AU - Goldstein, Mandy

AU - Thornton, Christopher

AU - Basten, Christopher

AU - Heruc, Gabriella

AU - Roberts, Marion

AU - Byrne, Susan

AU - Griffiths, Scott

AU - Lonergan, Alexandra

AU - Mitchison, Deborah

N1 - Copyright the Author(s) 2022. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

PY - 2022/5

Y1 - 2022/5

N2 - Emotion dysregulation has been posited as a key transdiagnostic factor of mental health difficulties, including eating disorders. However, how this transdiagnostic factor interacts with the disorder-specific factor of weight and shape concerns remains unclear. The current study examined whether emotion dysregulation is associated with eating disorder behaviors over and above the association between weight and shape concerns and whether these two factors interacted. The current study used data from two samples, a community sample of high school students (n = 2699), and a clinical sample of adolescents receiving outpatient treatment for an eating disorder (n = 149). Participants completed self-report measures on their eating behaviors, weight/shape concerns, and emotion dysregulation. Findings showed that emotion dysregulation had a unique association with engaging in binge eating and purging (community sample only). Weight and shape concerns were found to have a unique association with engaging in binge eating, fasting, purging, and driven exercise (community sample only). Additionally, weight and shape concerns moderated the association between emotion dysregulation and the probability of engaging in binge eating and driven exercise, whereby the strongest association between emotion dysregulation and these behaviors were observed among adolescents with the lowest levels of weight and shape concerns. Regarding the frequency of eating disorder behaviors, emotion dysregulation had a unique association with severity of binge eating and fasting. Weight and shape concerns were uniquely associated with severity of fasting and driven exercise (community sample only). Findings suggest that emotion dysregulation is a distinct factor of eating disorder behaviors among adolescents.

AB - Emotion dysregulation has been posited as a key transdiagnostic factor of mental health difficulties, including eating disorders. However, how this transdiagnostic factor interacts with the disorder-specific factor of weight and shape concerns remains unclear. The current study examined whether emotion dysregulation is associated with eating disorder behaviors over and above the association between weight and shape concerns and whether these two factors interacted. The current study used data from two samples, a community sample of high school students (n = 2699), and a clinical sample of adolescents receiving outpatient treatment for an eating disorder (n = 149). Participants completed self-report measures on their eating behaviors, weight/shape concerns, and emotion dysregulation. Findings showed that emotion dysregulation had a unique association with engaging in binge eating and purging (community sample only). Weight and shape concerns were found to have a unique association with engaging in binge eating, fasting, purging, and driven exercise (community sample only). Additionally, weight and shape concerns moderated the association between emotion dysregulation and the probability of engaging in binge eating and driven exercise, whereby the strongest association between emotion dysregulation and these behaviors were observed among adolescents with the lowest levels of weight and shape concerns. Regarding the frequency of eating disorder behaviors, emotion dysregulation had a unique association with severity of binge eating and fasting. Weight and shape concerns were uniquely associated with severity of fasting and driven exercise (community sample only). Findings suggest that emotion dysregulation is a distinct factor of eating disorder behaviors among adolescents.

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KW - weight and shape concerns

KW - eating disorders

KW - disordered eating

KW - adolescence

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85123096603

U2 - 10.1007/s10802-022-00898-1

DO - 10.1007/s10802-022-00898-1

M3 - Article

C2 - 35029782

SN - 2730-7166

VL - 50

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JO - Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology

JF - Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology

IS - 5

ER -

Emotion dysregulation and eating disorder symptoms: examining distinct associations and interactions in adolescents

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