Emotion Regulation and Body Dissatisfaction in Late Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

Literature has shown body dissatisfaction to be a significant risk factor in the development of eating pathology. Recent theoretical models have emphasized the additional importance of emotion regulation in predicting the development of eating pathology and related body dissatisfaction. The aim of the present study is to evaluate and explore the relationship between of emotion dysregulation and body dissatisfaction, a common concern found to predict eating disorders in adolescents and emerging adults. A set of emotion regulation (i.e., non-acceptance of emotional responses, difficulties engaging in goal-directed, impulse control difficulties, lack of emotional awareness, limited access to emotion regulation strategies, and lack of emotional clarity), body dissatisfaction, demographic (i.e., age, gender, ethnicity, relationship status), and physical (i.e., body mass index) factors were assessed in 235 young adults. Findings reveal that body dissatisfaction and emotion regulation difficulties overall are related in this population. In particular, individuals with limited access to emotion regulation strategies and lack of emotional clarity are most likely to experience impaired body satisfaction. Increased body mass index is also related to higher body dissatisfaction as well as a lack of emotional awareness. Gender differences were found, and while females experience significantly more body dissatisfaction than males, males experienced significantly more emotional dysregulation, and specifically non-acceptance of emotional responses, impulse control difficulties, and limited access to emotion regulation strategies, than females. Results support the contention that emotional dysregulation, combined with increased weight status, is related to body dissatisfaction