Attentional vigilance of food information in disordered eating behaviors.

Introduction: Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) are very common among female college students, which seriously endanger their health and well-being. Therefore, the study of the mechanism of DEBs can provide effective evidence for early detection and intervention. Methods: In total of 54 female college students were recruited and assigned to DEB group (n = 29) and healthy control (HC) group (n = 25) according to their scores in the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26). Then, the Exogenous Cueing Task (ECT) was used to evaluate their reaction time (RT) to the location of a target dot preceded by a food or neutral cue. Results: The study found that compared with HC group, DEB group showed more attentional engagement to food stimuli, indicating that attentional vigilance to food information could be considered as a specific attentional bias of DEBs. Discussion: Our findings not only provide evidence of the potential mechanism of DEBs from the perspective of attentional bias, but also can be considered as an effective and objective indicator for early screening of subclinical eating disorders (EDs).

Three Mediating Pathways of Anxiety and Security in the Relationship between Coping Style and Disordered Eating Behaviors among Chinese Female College Students.

Background: According to previous studies, eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors are associated with coping style, anxiety, and sense of security. However, the specific mechanism between them has not been elucidated. The purpose of this study was to explore whether anxiety and sense of security play mediating roles in coping style and disordered eating behaviors among Chinese female college students. Method: Six hundred and ninety-one female college students (mean age = 19.36; SD = 1.06) completed the Simple Coping Style Questionnaire, the Eating Disorder Inventory, the Security Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and a brief demographic survey. The percentage bootstrap method of deviation correction was conducted to determine the mediating effect of anxiety and sense of security on coping style and disordered eating behaviors. Results: Coping style had direct and indirect effects on disordered eating behaviors. Anxiety and sense of security were not only independent mediators in the relationship between coping style and disordered eating behaviors but also chain mediators. Conclusions: The results of the current study provide preliminary evidence that preventive interventions targeting anxiety and sense of security may be feasible for young women who develop disordered eating behaviors due to stress in their lives.

Childhood Maltreatment and Depression in Adulthood in Chinese Female College Students: The Mediating Effect of Coping Style.

Depression is the most common psychological disorder of female, with high disability rate and remarkable mortality rate. There is a lack of knowledge about childhood experience, coping style, and adult depression. The aim of the present research was to enrich this knowledge by investigating the mediating effect of coping style between childhood maltreatment and depression in adulthood in Chinese female college students. Self-report questionnaires assessing childhood maltreatment, depression, and coping style were completed in 738 participants. The results illustrated that childhood maltreatment was positively related to depression in adulthood while coping style was negatively related to depression. In addition, childhood maltreatment could influence adult depression through the mediating role of coping style. These findings indicate that childhood maltreatment and negative coping style are associated with depression in adulthood. Psychological intervention strategies for coping style could provide effective treatment direction for depression caused by childhood maltreatment.

The Mediating Effect of Coping Style in the Relationship Between Depression and Disordered Eating Among Chinese Female Undergraduates.

The aim of the current study was to explore the relationship between depression and disordered eating in female undergraduates and the mediating role of coping style between depression and disordered eating. Self-report questionnaires assessing coping style, disordered eating, and depression were completed in 646 Chinese female undergraduates. The results illustrated that there were obvious differences in disordered eating among the undergraduates with various majors. The disordered eating in female undergraduates majoring in art was more serious than those in other majors. Depression and coping style were effective indicators to predict disordered eating. Moreover, depression could not only directly predict disordered eating, but also predict disordered eating through the mediating effect of coping style. These findings indicate that depression and negative coping style are associated with disordered eating. Coping style could mediate the effect of depression on disordered eating, as these may be an important target for early intervention programs for eating disorder (ED).