The role of thin-idealization in associations between body dissatisfaction, dieting, and eating pathology: A moderated mediation analysis

Abstract

Dieting is associated with poor psychological health and disordered eating. For this reason, it is important to identify person-level characteristics that influence the effect of dieting on eating pathology. The Psycho-Behavioral Dieting Paradigm posits that high-intensity, appearance-focused dieting is associated with worse outcomes than low intensity, health-focused dieting. Accordingly, individuals who diet in pursuit of the thin-ideal may be at a higher risk for negative outcomes. The current study tests this model by examining associations between body dissatisfaction, dieting, eating pathology, and thin-ideal internalization in a sample of female college students (n = 342). A moderated mediation model informed by the Psycho-Behavioral Dieting Paradigm was tested to evaluate whether the indirect effect of body dissatisfaction on eating pathology through dieting is moderated by thin-ideal internalization. Dieting mediated the relationship between body dissatisfaction and eating pathology, and this mediation effect was moderated by thin-ideal internalization. Specifically, the strength of the mediation effect increased with higher thin-ideal internalization. These results suggest that the explanatory role of dieting in predicting eating pathology is particularly pronounced among women who endorse a preference for a slender body.