Mentalization and dysfunctional eating behaviors: the mediating role of emotional regulation

Dysfunctional eating behaviors encompass a heterogeneous range of patterns, including extreme dietary restriction, binge eating, and compensatory behaviors such as purging, often accompanied by a pervasive and subjectively experienced overconcern with body weight and shape. Individuals exhibiting these behaviors frequently show impairments in mentalization, characterized by rigid and less flexible representations of mental states, as well as significant difficulties in emotion regulation. Emotional eating, in particular, has been conceptualized as a maladaptive strategy aimed at modulating negative affective states. The present study aimed to examine the mediating role of emotion regulation in the relationship between mentalization capacity and dysfunctional eating behaviors, in order to better elucidate the underlying psychological mechanisms. A sample of 231 adults completed a battery of self-report measures, including the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26), the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire-8 (RFQ-8), and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-36 (DERS-36). Correlation analyses indicated that lower levels of mentalization were significantly associated with greater difficulties in emotion regulation (r = [insert value], p < .05), which in turn were significantly associated with higher levels of dysfunctional eating behaviors (r = [insert value], p < .05). Mediation analysis further revealed a significant indirect effect of mentalization on dysfunctional eating behaviors through emotion regulation (β = [insert value], SE = [insert value], p < .05; 95% CI [insert values]), supporting the hypothesized mediational model. These findings suggest that deficits in the ability to understand and interpret one’s own and others’ mental states may contribute to dysfunctional eating behaviors, particularly when coupled with impaired emotion regulation capacities. Interventions targeting both mentalization and emotion regulation processes may therefore represent a promising avenue for the prevention and treatment of eating-related difficulties. Level of evidence: Level I, evidence obtained from experimental studies