Self-Focus Mediates the Relationship between Body Dissatisfaction, Depression and Disordered Eating Behaviors

Research suggests that depression may play a role in the relationship between body dissatisfaction and the development of disordered eating behaviors. Self-focus has been identified as playing a role in both depression and eating disorders. Using a self-report, cross-sectional methodology, we examined self-focused attention as a mediator between body dissatisfaction and depression and disordered eating in college females. Self-focused attention accounted for significant variance in disordered eating and depression, after accounting for body dissatisfaction. Both self-focused attention and depressive symptoms partially mediated the relationship between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. The results suggest that a tendency to focus on the self is a risk factor in the development of disordered eating behaviors among those with body dissatisfaction. Longitudinal research is needed to further examine the role of self-focus in eating disorder development. However, preliminary prevention and treatment implications are discussed.