Emotion Regulation Factors as Mediators Between Body Dissatisfaction and Bulimic Symptoms in Early Adolescent Girls

Research suggests that negative affect is an important mediator in the relationship between body dissatisfaction and bulimic symptoms. This study examines the mediational role of specific emotion regulation processes (i.e., negative emotionality, poor awareness of emotion, nonconstructive coping with negative emotion) in bulimic symptoms. In addition to these emotion regulation variables, body dissatisfaction and bulimic symptoms were assessed in 234 girls in Grades 6 to 8 (mean age = 12 years, 11 months). The results indicated that negative affect, poor awareness of emotion, and nonconstructive coping with negative emotion partially mediated the relationship between body dissatisfaction and bulimic behaviors. The findings are discussed in light of previous research that suggests emotion regulation needs to be viewed as a multidimensional construct.

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