Affiliation:
1. Department of Health Sciences University of Florence Florence Italy
2. Division of Psychology, School of Applied Sciences London South Bank University London UK
3. Department of Psychology Sigmund Freud University Milan Italy
4. Cognitive Psychotherapy School and Research Center Studi Cognitivi Milan Italy
5. Eating Disorders Unit Italian Psychotherapy Clinics Milan Italy
Abstract
ABSTRACTIntroductionThis study explored the possible mediating role of emotion dysregulation in the association between perfectionism and eating psychopathology symptoms.MethodOne hundred forty‐two outpatients with eating disorders (EDs) were enrolled. Perfectionism, emotion dysregulation, ED psychopathology, anxious and depressive symptoms were assessed. Correlation, mediation and 95% bias corrected and accelerated (BCa CI) bootstrapped analyses were run.ResultsEmotion dysregulation was found to mediate the association between concern over mistakes perfectionism and restraint (indirect effect: 0.093, BCa CI: 0.001–0.02, adjusted R2 = 0.3324, p < 0.001), shape concern (indirect effect: 0.0130, BCa CI: 0.004–0.03, adjusted R2 = p < 0.001) and weight concern (indirect effect: 0.0142, BCa CI: 0.004–0.03, adjusted R2 = 0.2986, p < 0.001).ConclusionAmong ED outpatients, emotion dysregulation may be involved in the association between concern over mistakes perfectionism and persistence of eating psychopathology symptoms. Emotion dysregulation could be considered as possible therapeutic target to reduce the persistence, and severity, of eating psychopathology symptoms among ED patients with concern over mistakes perfectionism.