Body image flexibility and inflexibility predict intuitive eating: A prospective study in adolescents and emerging adults

Young people frequently experience body image threats, and how they cope with these has implications for eating behaviour. Responding flexibly to threats (i.e., openly experiencing negative body-related thoughts and feelings while connecting with a broader sense of self and personal values) may promote adaptive eating behaviours, whereas inflexibility (i.e., resisting uncomfortable experiences and disconnecting from important areas of life) could be detrimental. However, evidence for their roles in predicting intuitive eating is mixed, and research has yet to explore how disordered eating might alter such relationships. To address this gap, this study examined body image flexibility and inflexibility as predictors of intuitive eating components and explored whether eating disorder pathology moderated these relationships. Australian adolescents and emerging adults completed an online survey at two timepoints, Wave 1 (W1; N = 1035) and Wave 2 (W2; N = 351) five months later. Conditional process models indicated that W1 body image flexibility and inflexibility predicted higher and lower W2 reliance on internal eating cues, respectively, with inflexibility also predicting lower levels of W2 eating for physical reasons. Eating disorder pathology did not moderate these effects. Results support the benefits of flexible forms of responding to body image threats, such as by noticing and separating from negative thoughts and engaging in valued activities, instead of trying to avoid or reduce distress, to promote adaptive eating behaviour in young people including those with disordered eating. Future studies should examine the feasibility of integrating these coping strategies within eating disorder prevention and among clinical samples.