Emotion regulation strategy use in real-world contexts and eating disorder symptomatology: a daily diary study

Difficulties in emotion regulation are a risk and maintenance factor in eating disorder pathology. Little is known about how emotion regulation strategy use across daily-life contexts relates to global eating disorder symptomatology, and, in particular, whether there are gender differences in these associations. A sample of 175 undergraduate students completed baseline measures of eating disorder pathology, emotion reactivity, and affective symptoms. They then completed daily diary surveys for 14 days, reporting situational characteristics and emotion regulation strategy use in response to the most emotionally salient situation since the previous survey. Correlations between strategy use frequencies and baseline global eating disorder symptomatology were examined. Linear regression models were then estimated for strategy use frequencies significantly correlated with global eating disorder symptomatology, controlling for trait-level emotion reactivity, gender, and age. Gender-stratified regression models were also estimated. Distraction was the only strategy significantly correlated with global eating disorder symptomatology. In adjusted regression models, greater distraction use frequency during the daily diary period was significantly associated with elevated baseline global eating disorder pathology. Gender-stratified analyses indicated that distraction was significantly associated with eating disorder pathology among women, but not among men. Among women, this association remained significant after additional adjustment for depression and anxiety symptoms. Findings support the salience of distraction and suggest a role for experiential avoidance-based emotion regulation processes in eating disorder pathology among women. They also suggest the presence of potentially meaningful gender differences in the association between emotion regulation processes and eating disorder symptomatology. Difficulties in managing emotions are involved in the development and persistence of eating disorder symptoms. However, little is known about how the strategies people use to manage their emotions in everyday life relate to overall eating disorder symptoms, and whether there are gender differences in these relationships. For 14 days, 175 undergraduate students reported the strategies they used to manage their emotions in response to the most emotionally significant situation faced that day. The frequency of using distraction (e.g., shifting attention away from one’s emotions) during this period was associated with greater eating disorder symptoms among women, but not among men. This suggests that reliance on avoiding one’s feelings in response to emotional situations may be related to eating disorder symptoms among women, and that emotion management strategies might relate to eating disorder pathology differently between men and women.