Abstract
Background.
Body shape dissatisfaction, increasingly common in adults, is a known predictor of mental distress in general and eating disorders in particular. Recently, mindfulness has been introduced as a potential psychological buffer to dampen these disorders. This study investigates the relation between body shape satisfaction and eating disorders and evaluates the potential moderating role of mindfulness and body mass index among a sample of Lebanese adults.
Methods.
A total of 324 adults were recruited via snowball sampling technique and were asked to fill demographic data and standardized questionnaires online. In addition to age, gender, and Body Mass Index (BMI), participants were assessed for body shape dissatisfaction, eating disorders, as well as mindfulness.
Results.
Findings indicate that higher body shape concerns, higher BMI and lower mindfulness were associated with higher eating disorders. We also found that mindfulness and BMI moderated the relationship between body shape concerns and eating disorders. Yet, considered alone, did not dampen the direct relation of body concerns worsening eating disorders.
Conclusion.
Taken together, these results indicate that the impact of perceived body shape concerns over eating disorders could be moderated by mindfulness and actual body mass. Yet, these factors alone are not sufficient to reduce the negative impact of body shape. Therefore, additional studies are warranted to look into the intricate relation between them to further bolster the effect of focused attention and body size on maladaptive eating behaviors worsened by dissatisfaction with ones’ shape.