Interpersonal variables and eating psychopathology: exploring underlying mechanisms of body appreciation and inflexible eating

Abstract

Social comparisons based on physical appearance and BMI have been considered, overtime, as risk factors for eating psychopathology. Moreover, although literature has highlighted the importance of belonging to a group for a healthy personal development, the relationship between social safeness and eating psychopathology remains understudied. The aim of the present study was to explore the impact of social-related variables on eating psychopathology, and explore the mediator role of body appreciation and inflexible eating rules in these relationships. The participants in this study were 253 women, aged between 18 and 50 years old, who completed a series of self-report measures displayed on an online tool. A path analysis showed that social safeness, social comparison based on physical appearance and BMI hold a significant effect on eating psychopathology, partially through the mechanisms of body appreciation and inflexible eating rules. Results suggested that women who present higher levels of social safeness and report more favourable appearancebased social comparisons are more willing to reveal a positive and respectful attitude towards the body and decreased adoption of inflexible eating rules and disordered eating behaviours. 3 These findings seem to present empirical support for the importance of promoting body appreciation in female population, in order to prevent the adherence to inflexible eating rules and disordered eating behaviours.