Relationships of Attitudes toward Eating and Eating Behaviors with Invalidating Childhood Environment in Adults: The Mediating Role of Self-Compassion, Distress Tolerance, and Impulsivity

Objective: Eating disorders (EDs) are prevalent in adulthood and often originate in adolescence, influenced by various psychological factors, including childhood experiences. This research investigated how self-compassion, distress tolerance, and impulsivity function as mediators between early experiences of emotional invalidation during childhood and individuals’ eating patterns and attitudes in adulthood. Method: The study involved 1,217 students (86.2% female), recruited through convenience sampling. Participants completed standardized questionnaires assessing eating behaviors, eating attitudes, self-compassion, distress tolerance, and impulsivity. The proposed model was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: Impulsivity and self-compassion significantly mediated the relationship between childhood invalidation and both eating behavior (β = 0.161, P < 0.05) and eating attitude (β = 0.077, P < 0.01). Distress tolerance did not serve as a significant mediator in the model. Invalidating childhood environment was directly related to impulsivity (β = 0.303, P < 0.001) and self-compassion (β = -0.350, P < 0.001). Self-compassion and impulsivity were significant predictors of eating behavior and attitudes. Conclusion: Childhood experiences of invalidation contribute to maladaptive eating behaviors and attitudes through the mediating roles of impulsivity and self-compassion. Notably, impulsivity had a stronger indirect effect on both outcomes compared to self-compassion. The results indicate that fostering self-compassion and managing impulsive tendencies may serve as important focal points for interventions designed to prevent or treat eating disorders.