Emotion Regulation as a Predictor of Disordered Eating Symptoms in Young Female University Students

Bibliographic Data

ID16945561
AuthorsMarina Rojas-Valverde (0009-0003-5355-8446, Universidad de Extremadura), Elena Felipe Castaño (0000-0001-6167-877X, Universidad de Extremadura, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume15
Issue9
Pages171
Publication date2025-08-27
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEuropean Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2174-8144 • E-ISSN: 2254-9625
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/ejihpe15090171
PMID41002752
OpenAlexW4413756988
LanguageEN
References cited50

Eating disorders are characterised by concerns about food, body image, and weight control and/or reduction. They are more frequently described in women, and emotion regulation plays a central role in both their development and persistence. The aim of this study was to analyse the sensitivity and specificity of emotion regulation in predicting disordered eating symptoms in a sample of female university students. Non-probabilistic sampling was used to recruit 558 female university students, with a mean age of 20.63 years (SD = 1.88). An adaptation in Spanish of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and the Spanish version of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (S-EDE-Q) were administered. The findings suggested that scores related to emotion dysregulation, emotional rejection, and emotional interference may help distinguish women with disordered eating symptoms associated with food restriction and eating concerns. It is important to have sensitive tools that can identify at-risk populations as well as relevant psychological constructs linked to eating disorders when developing intervention programmes

Developmental psychology · Disordered eating · Eating disorders · Clinical Psychology · Eating Disorders and Behaviors · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders · Psychology

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Open DOIOpen Access