Self-objectification and eating disorder psychopathology in women: the mediating role of rumination

Objectification theory posits that self-objectification can lead to disordered eating, with significant positive correlations between self-objectification and eating disorder (ED) psychopathology found in women in both clinical and non-clinical samples. Maladaptive rumination is another process frequently associated with EDs, but its relationship with self-objectification and ED psychopathology needs further investigation. Our aim was to conduct a preliminary test to investigate whether maladaptive rumination mediated the relationship between self-objectification and ED psychopathology in women. Data were collected online from a general community sample of 243 women. Correlation and mediation analyses were undertaken. Significant positive associations were found between rumination, self-objectification, and ED psychopathology. Rumination significantly mediated the relationship between self-objectification and ED psychopathology, accounting for 20.52% of the variance, suggesting that a greater tendency to ruminate may contribute to ED vulnerability in those with high self-objectification. These preliminary findings may inform assessment and formulation of women presenting with ED psychopathology in addition to supporting psychological interventions (e.g. CBT or acceptance-based approaches), which can target both self-objectification and rumination processes. Future research involving replication with clinical samples is warranted to corroborate the relationship between these constructs, their impact on ED psychopathology over time and to investigate their utility in assessment and treatment approaches.