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Social Rank and Rejection Sensitivity as Mediators of the Relationship between Insecure Attachment and Disordered Eating
Author(s) -
De Paoli Tara,
FullerTyszkiewicz Matthew,
Halliwell Emma,
Puccio Francis,
Krug Isabel
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
european eating disorders review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.511
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1099-0968
pISSN - 1072-4133
DOI - 10.1002/erv.2537
Subject(s) - eating disorders , psychology , interpersonal communication , interpersonal relationship , clinical psychology , insecure attachment , rank (graph theory) , disordered eating , developmental psychology , attachment theory , social psychology , mathematics , combinatorics
Aim The current study assessed a new interpersonal model for eating disorders (EDs), in which interpersonal rejection sensitivity (RS), appearance‐based RS and social rank were hypothesised to mediate the relationship between insecure attachment and disordered eating. Method The sample comprised a clinical ED group (N = 122) and a control group (N = 622). Participants were asked to complete a number of self‐report measures related to the variables of interest. Results Invariance testing indicated that the model was structurally non‐invariant (different across groups). For the ED group, appearance‐based RS and social rank were significant mediators of the relationship between insecure attachment and disordered eating. For the controls, the relationship between insecure attachment and disordered eating was mediated through multiple pathways involving interpersonal RS, appearance‐based RS and social rank. Conclusion These findings may inform existing therapies such as interpersonal psychotherapy for EDs, by emphasising the role of sensitivity to rejection in the development and maintenance of disordered eating. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.