Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2025

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
Published on: May 31, 2021
Gender differences in the association between body shame and binge eating: Body image flexibility as a moderator in
Jessica Di Sante1, Bärbel Knäuper1
1Department of Psychology, McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
Background:
Body shame is an established antecedent and maintaining factor of binge eating, beyond global negative affect and body weight, and partly through the effects of dietary restriction. These associations have mainly been established in women and are understudied in men. Body image flexibility, a concept from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, may be a protective psychological process against the effects of negative body image on binge eating.
Methods:
Using structural equation modeling and a non-clinical sample of 244 women and 185 men, this cross-sectional study tested an integrated model of the association between body shame and binge eating, mediated by dietary restriction and moderated by body image flexibility, controlling for depressive symptoms and BMI.
Results:
Body shame predicted binge eating in women but not in men, whereas depressive symptoms predicted binge eating in men but not in women. Body image flexibility moderated the association between body shame and binge eating in women.
Conclusions:
These cross-sectional findings highlight the importance of considering gender differences in current negative affect models of binge eating, and further support the role of body image flexibility in attenuating the influence of body shame on binge eating in women. Longitudinal studies are required to examine the temporal dynamics between these variables.
Related Concept Videos
Bulimia Nervosa
Binge Eating Disorders
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Self-Discrepancy Theory
Panic Disorder
Relationship Formation

