Associations between emotion reactivity and eating disorder symptoms in a transdiagnostic treatment-seeking sample

Objective Individuals with eating disorders (EDs) demonstrate difficulties with emotion regulation, and these difficulties have been associated with severity and maintenance of ED symptoms. Although emotion reactivity (i.e., the strength and duration of emotional experiences) is distinct from emotion regulation, few studies have examined emotion reactivity in the context of EDs. The purpose of the current study was to examine longitudinal associations between emotion reactivity and ED symptoms and impairment in individuals with EDs. Method Individuals seeking outpatient ED treatment (N = 265) completed questionnaires assessing ED symptoms and severity, emotion reactivity, and emotion regulation difficulties at treatment intake and bi-monthly during treatment. Results Individuals with anorexia nervosa or binge eating or purging presentations had higher emotion reactivity scores than a non-ED comparison group. Controlling for age, diagnosis, and emotion regulation difficulties, emotion reactivity was positively associated with ED severity, ED-related impairment, and loss of control eating severity. Moreover, emotion reactivity, but not emotion regulation difficulties, was associated with change in ED symptoms during treatment. Discussion Findings support that emotion reactivity may differ based on ED presentations and may be an important correlate of ED symptom severity. Public Significance Emotion reactivity refers to the strength and duration of an emotional experience. This study found that higher emotion reactivity was related to greater eating disorder symptom severity and eating disorder-related impairment. It may be beneficial to consider the role of emotion reactivity in conceptualizations of eating disorders, particularly those characterized by binge eating or purging.

Automated summary

Individuals with eating disorders demonstrate difficulties with emotion regulation, and higher emotion reactivity is associated with greater severity of ED symptoms and impairment, particularly in presentations characterized by binge eating or purging.