IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT FLEXIBILITY: EXAMINING THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY, BODY NEUTRALITY AND DISORDERED EATING BEHAVIOURS

Background: Disordered eating behaviours (DEB) refers to a spectrum and consisting of irregular eating habits, and distorted attitudes around food, weight, shape, and appearance and are one of the primary risk factors for an eating disorder (Pereira & Alvarenga, 2007).Understanding what tools could best intervene and alleviate DEB can help individuals before they develop more serious behaviours associated with eating disorders.Psychological flexibility encourages people to be consciously present in the moment and to engage in behaviours that align with personal values (Harris, 2006) and has been linked to fewer DEBs (Givehki et al., 2018).Body neutrality is a newer concept focusing on functional appreciation, body image flexibility, and compassion around appearance (Pellizzer & Wade, 2023).Although body neutrality shares commonalities with psychology flexibility, it has not been empirically evaluated.Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine how the elements of body neutrality and psychological flexibility affected DEB in young adults.Method: In total, 418 participants completed an online questionnaire package that included the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (Fairburn & Beglin, 1994), the Functional Appreciation Scale (Alleva et al., 2017), the Body Image Flexibility and Inflexibility Scale (Brichacek et al., 2023), the Body Compassion Questionnaire (Beadle et al., 2021) and the Comprehensive Assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Processes (Francis et al., 2016).Results: Twenty-nine percent (29%) of participants met the clinical severity cut-off for an eating disorder based on EDE-Q scores (Velkoff et al., 2023).Pearson's correlations revealed a strong, moderate positive correlation between EDE-Q scores and body image inflexibility as well as moderate, negative correlations with body compassion and functional appreciation.A hierarchical linear regression indicated that all aspects of psychological flexibility and body kindness were associated with lower disordered eating.Conclusion: Aspects of psychological flexibility and body compassion predicted DEB and could be used in clinical interventions.Furthermore, it is evident that body image inflexibility may play a key role in the maintenance of DEB.