Emotion regulation strategies as predictors of Japanese female athletes’ abnormal eating behavior

Abstract Background The media’s recent coverage of Japanese female athletes’ announcements that they have eating disorders and amenorrhea has provided an opening for attending to female athletes’ physical and mental health issues. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between emotion regulation strategies and abnormal eating disorders in Japanese female athletes. Methods Healthy female athletes (N = 140) who had never had an eating disorder completed the Abnormal Eating Behavior Scale, New Version (AEBS-NV), the Japanese version of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ-J), and the Japanese version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Japanese version CERQ). Results The total AEBS-NV score positively correlated with “Rumination” (r = .26, p < .01), “Blaming others” (r = .32, p < .01), and “Catastrophizing” (r = .32, p < .01). In contrast, “Refocus on planning” negatively correlated with the total AEBS‒NV score (r = − .23, p < .01). We also used stepwise multiple regression analysis, with the two-factor ERQ-J and CERQ scores as independent variables and the five-factor AEBS‒NV scores as dependent variables. These results clarified the emotion regulation strategies associated with each type of abnormal eating disorder, that is, “Inappropriate diet behavior,” “Apprehension concerning food intake,” and “Binge eating.” Conclusions The findings suggest that emotion regulation strategies can increase and/or decrease each type of abnormal eating disorder and help prevent female athletes’ eating disorders. Future research should consider sport type as a variable and further investigate its relationships with emotion regulation strategies, abnormal eating behaviors, and self-evaluation of body shape.