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Grounded in emotion regulation theory, cross-sectional research has shown that difficulties managing emotions are strongly associated with negative body image. However, a lack of prospective investigations limits our understanding of the temporal dynamics of these relationships, and whether different emotion dysregulation facets are relevant for distinct components of negative body image. We examined prospective associations between emotional regulation (i.e., self-compassion) and dysregulation (i.e., non-acceptance of negative emotions, problems with impulse control, lack of emotional clarity, limited access to emotion regulation strategies, and an inability to engage in goal directed behaviors) with negative body image components (dissatisfaction, fear of weight gain, feeling fat, over-evaluation, and preoccupation) in 3039 adult women at baseline (T1) and 8 months (T2). Higher self-compassion and lower emotion dysregulation strategies consistently predicted better body image outcomes in univariate models (R² =.31–.52), with all predictors significant for feeling fat, fear of weight gain, and preoccupation. In multivariate models (R² =.35–.72), only self-compassion predicted lower fear of weight gain and overvaluation. These findings support theoretical models linking emotion dysregulation to body image disturbance, while highlighting self-compassion as a particularly robust predictor and potential target for prevention and intervention efforts. • Identified 8-month predictors of five negative body image components in adult women. • Self-compassion and emotion dysregulation predicted body image in univariate models. • Self-compassion predicted fear of weight gain and overvaluation in multivariate models. • Results highlight self-compassion as a target for prevention and intervention.
Messer et al. (Fri,) studied this question.