Abdallah Ralph, Assaf Melyssa, Malaeb Diana, Sakr Fouad, Dabbous Mariam, El-Khatib Sami, Fekih-Romdhane Feten, Hallit Souheil, Obeid Sahar
Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, P.O. Box 446, Jounieh, Lebanon.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 22;15(1):17850. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-02985-x.
Our study aims to assess the moderating effect of self-esteem in the association between generalized anxiety disorder and disordered eating symptoms among a sample of Lebanese adults. The study engaged a cohort of 629 participants, who were recruited in May 2023, utilizing a snowball sampling technique. Data were collected via a questionnaire that included socio-demographic variables and the following scales: the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-5), the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-7), and the Single Item Self-Esteem Scale (SISE). Higher GAD-5 scores (Beta = 0.01; p = .004) were significantly associated with higher EAT-7 scores. The interaction generalized anxiety disorder by self-esteem was also significantly associated with EAT-7 scores (Beta = - 0.003; p = .019), indicating that self-esteem moderates the relationship between GAD and disordered eating symptoms. At low (Beta = 0.006; p = .001) and moderate (Beta = 0.003; p = .007) levels of self-esteem, higher GAD-5 scores were significantly associated with higher EAT-7 scores (more severe disordered eating symptoms). In contrast, at high levels of self-esteem, the association was not significant (Beta = 0.001; p = .812), indicating that higher self-esteem may act as a protective factor, reducing the impact of GAD on disordered eating symptoms. While an association between anxiety and disordered eating symptomatology has been reported, this study adds to the body of literature by indicating that the strength of this association may vary with an individual's level of self-esteem, which underscores the importance of integrating self-esteem-building strategies into therapeutic interventions aimed at reducing disordered eating in individuals facing anxiety. Future studies would allow for a more dynamic and nuanced understanding of the causal pathways between anxiety, self-esteem, and eating behaviors.
我们的研究旨在评估自尊在黎巴嫩成年样本中广泛性焦虑症与饮食失调症状之间关联中的调节作用。该研究纳入了629名参与者组成的队列，他们于2023年5月通过雪球抽样技术招募。通过一份问卷收集数据，问卷包括社会人口统计学变量以及以下量表：广泛性焦虑症量表（GAD - 5）、饮食态度测试（EAT - 7）和单项自尊量表（SISE）。较高的GAD - 5得分（β = 0.01；p = 0.004）与较高的EAT - 7得分显著相关。广泛性焦虑症与自尊的交互作用也与EAT - 7得分显著相关（β = - 0.003；p = 0.019），表明自尊调节了广泛性焦虑症与饮食失调症状之间的关系。在低（β = 0.006；p = 0.001）和中等（β = 0.003；p = 0.007）自尊水平下，较高的GAD - 5得分与较高的EAT - 7得分（更严重的饮食失调症状）显著相关。相比之下，在高自尊水平下，这种关联不显著（β = 0.001；p = 0.812），表明较高的自尊可能起到保护作用，减少广泛性焦虑症对饮食失调症状的影响。虽然已有研究报道焦虑与饮食失调症状之间存在关联，但本研究通过表明这种关联的强度可能因个体自尊水平而异，为文献增添了内容，这凸显了将自尊建立策略纳入旨在减少焦虑个体饮食失调的治疗干预措施的重要性。未来的研究将有助于更动态、细致地理解焦虑、自尊和饮食行为之间的因果途径。
