Complications of Emotional Regulation and Impulsivity in Symptoms of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders (EDs) are severe mental disorders which typically occur during young adulthood and are associated with high mortality. On the other hand, the prevalence of EDs has increased in recent years. Accordingly, identifying the predisposing factors of EDs is essential, which can be taken into account in developing interventional programs.The aim of the present research was to investigate the relationship of difficulties in emotion regulation and impulsivity with eating disorder symptoms.
The research method used in the present study was correlation. A total number of 340 women from Tehran general population in 2015 participated in the study by convenient sampling method. The research instruments were Eating Disorders Diagnostic Scale (EDDS), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation (DERS), and Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11). Data was analyzed using Pearson Correlational Analysis and multiple regression analysis.
Findings of the present study revealed that relationship of eating disorder symptoms with total scores of difficulties in emotion regulation (P Overall, according to the results of the present study, it can be concluded that emotion regulation difficulties and impulsivity play a significant role in the etiology and maintenance of disordered eating. Therefore it can be useful to focus on these factors in prevention and treatment of eating disorders. It means that patients with eating disorders require a therapy that addresses adaptive emotion regulation skills and control of impulsive responding. Future studies can explore effectiveness of different emotion regulation & impulse control skills in reducing symptoms.