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Emotion differentiation and disordered eating behaviors: The role of appearance schemas
Williams-Kerver & Crowther (2020) examined emotion differentiation (the ability to distinguish between discrete emotions in the moment) and its association with eating disorder symptoms, since it has been linked with maladaptive behaviors such as disordered eating. Another aim of this study was to investigate whether appearance schemas moderate this interaction between emotion differentiation and eating disorder symptoms. It has been suggested that individuals who are concerned about appearance-related matters in their environment may pay less attention to other internal processes. The participants of the study were 118 female undergraduate students. Daily disordered eating behaviors and emotions were tracked using ecological momentary assessments for seven days. Emotion differentiation was measured using the students’ negatively-valenced (NED) and positively-valenced (PED) daily affect ratings. Significant interactions were spotted between negatively-valenced daily affect, severity of eating disorder symptomatology, and frequency of compensatory behaviors. The data also suggested that poor negatively-valenced affect, combined with stronger appearance schemas, resulted in more frequent adoption of compensatory behaviors and more severe eating disorder symptoms. It was revealed that better NED predicted daily engagement in dietary restriction. This study may facilitate greater understanding of eating disorder symptomatology, uncovering clinically significant information on a crucial aspect of emotional experience. [NPID: body image, emotion differentiation, emotion regulation, eating disorders, disordered eating, negative valence, positive valence]
Year: 2020
