<p class="first" id="d18009295e88">The goal of this meta-analysis was to examine the
associations between specific emotion
regulation abilities (emotional awareness, emotional clarity) and strategies (acceptance
of emotions, reappraisal, problem-solving, rumination, avoidance of emotions, and
suppression), and eating pathology. A total of 96 studies and 239 effect sizes were
included in the analysis. Relations between global and specific emotion regulation
abilities and strategies and eating disorders and eating-related symptoms were examined.
Results indicated medium-to-large effect sizes for the associations between adaptive
emotion regulation and eating disorder and eating-related symptoms, and medium-to-large
effect sizes for the associations between maladaptive emotion regulation and eating
disorders and eating-related symptoms. In terms of specific emotion regulation strategies,
large magnitude of associations were identified for the relations between lack of
emotional awareness, clarity, acceptance, reappraisal, problem-solving, and eating
disorders. Rumination, avoidance of emotions, and suppression also showed large associations
with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Overall, emotion regulation did not differ
across eating disorders, a finding supporting the transdiagnostic character of emotion
regulation problems in eating pathology. These findings have important theoretical
and practical implications for prevention and intervention programs.
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