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Emotion Regulation as a Predictor of Body Dissatisfaction in Individuals With Eating Disorders
Eline S J de Rijk1,2, Alexandra E Dingemans1,2, Eric F van Furth1,2
1GGZ Rivierduinen Eating Disorders Ursula, Leiden, the Netherlands.
The International Journal of Eating Disorders
|March 31, 2026
Summary
Emotion regulation strategies like suppression and cognitive reappraisal did not predict changes in body dissatisfaction (BD) over time. While suppression was associated with higher BD in individuals with eating disorders (EDs), it did not predict longitudinal changes in BD.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Eating Disorder Research
Background:
- Body dissatisfaction (BD) is a significant factor in the development and maintenance of eating disorders (EDs).
- Emotion regulation strategies, including suppression and cognitive reappraisal, may influence BD.
- Suppression, an emotion regulation strategy, may exacerbate BD by intensifying negative body-related affect, while cognitive reappraisal may mitigate BD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether emotion regulation strategies, specifically suppression and cognitive reappraisal, predict changes in body dissatisfaction (BD) over time.
- To examine if eating disorder (ED) status (current or recovered) moderates the relationship between these emotion regulation strategies and BD.
- To explore the longitudinal association between maladaptive (suppression) and adaptive (cognitive reappraisal) emotion regulation strategies and BD in individuals with and without current EDs.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal data from the Netherlands Eating disorder Registry (NER) involving 364 participants (276 with current EDs, 84 recovered) across three waves (T0, T1, T2).
- Two linear mixed-effects models were employed to analyze the effects of suppression and reappraisal on BD.
- Eating disorder status was included as a moderator in the statistical models.
Main Results:
- Higher levels of suppression were significantly associated with greater BD in individuals with current EDs compared to recovered individuals at baseline (T0).
- Neither cognitive reappraisal nor suppression significantly predicted longitudinal changes in BD over the follow-up periods (T1 and T2).
- Eating disorder status did not moderate the relationship between suppression or reappraisal and BD over time.
Conclusions:
- The study found no evidence that suppression or cognitive reappraisal predict longitudinal changes in body dissatisfaction (BD).
- An association was observed between suppression and BD, suggesting these two factors may co-occur and potentially reinforce each other in individuals with eating disorders (EDs).
- Further research is needed to understand the complex interplay between emotion regulation and body dissatisfaction in the context of eating disorders.
Keywords:
body dissatisfactioncognitive reappraisaleating disordersemotion regulationpredictorssuppressionMore Related Videos
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