Longitudinal Associations Between Cumulative Ecological Risk and Eating Disorders Among Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Avoidance

Background: Many studies have revealed that risk factors, such as social distancing restrictions, changes in the learning environment, and parent–child conflict, are negatively related to adolescents’ eating disorders. However, the current research focuses on the role of a single factor or a single field of factors, which may lead to overinference. Methods: A three-wave longitudinal design was employed to examine the relationships among cumulative ecological risk, cognitive avoidance, and eating disorders. A total of 1236 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 15.85, SD = 0.61; 55.42% female) completed paper-based questionnaires, including the Cumulative Ecological Risk Questionnaire, Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire, and Eating Attitudes Test. A parallel-process latent growth model was constructed to investigate the dynamic associations among cumulative ecological risk, cognitive avoidance, and eating disorders over time. Results: This study demonstrates that (1) cumulative ecological risk has a significant longitudinal effect on eating disorders among Chinese adolescents, both at the intercept and slope levels. (2) Cognitive avoidance partially mediates the link between cumulative ecological risk and eating disorders through multiple pathways at both the intercept and slope levels. Conclusions: The findings of this research highlight the importance of reducing ecological risks and addressing maladaptive coping strategies (e.g., cognitive avoidance) to prevent eating disorders among adolescents.