Lian Yanan, Liu Sihan, Zhang Di, Qiao Dongdong, Zhang Zhengze, Mi Guolin, Liu Zhenhua, Wu Xinchun
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Shandong Mental Health Center, Lixia District, No. 49, East Wenhua Road, Jinan, 250014, China.
Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Haidian District, No.19 Xinjiekouwai St, Beijing, 100875, China.
J Eat Disord. 2025 Jul 29;13(1):161. doi: 10.1186/s40337-025-01325-8.
Emotion dysregulation is a critical factor in the development and maintenance of eating disorders (EDs), but the specific associations between emotion dysregulation dimensions and specific eating disorder symptoms in subclinical populations remain unclear. This study investigated the unique associations in college students with subclinical eating disorders using a network analysis approach.
A total of 282 college students with subclinical eating disorders were screened with an online questionnaire. They completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q ≥ 1.27) and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Network analysis was applied to identify central and bridge nodes, as well as key connections between eating disorder symptoms and emotion dysregulation dimensions.
Preoccupation with food and eating emerged as the most influential symptom in the network. The Clarity and Non-acceptance dimensions of emotion dysregulation acted as critical bridge nodes linking emotion dysregulation and ED symptoms. Specific dimensions of emotion dysregulation demonstrated distinct associations with different ED symptomatology. For instance, the Impulse dimension was associated with restriction. The Goals dimensions were associated with lower levels of binge eating and compensatory behaviors. The Strategy dimension was mainly related to ED symptoms accompanying emotional experience.
The findings highlight the role of emotion dysregulation in the maintenance of subclinical EDs and underscore the need for targeted interventions focusing on emotional understanding and acceptance. While network analysis provides novel insights into early-stage ED pathology, limitations such as cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported data should be considered. Future longitudinal studies are needed to validate these associations.
情绪调节障碍是进食障碍（EDs）发生和维持的关键因素，但在亚临床人群中，情绪调节障碍维度与特定进食障碍症状之间的具体关联仍不明确。本研究采用网络分析方法，调查了亚临床进食障碍大学生中的独特关联。
通过在线问卷对282名亚临床进食障碍大学生进行筛查。他们完成了进食障碍检查问卷（EDE-Q≥1.27）和情绪调节困难量表。应用网络分析来识别中心节点和桥梁节点，以及进食障碍症状与情绪调节障碍维度之间的关键联系。
对食物和进食的过度关注成为网络中最具影响力的症状。情绪调节障碍的清晰度和不接受维度作为连接情绪调节障碍和进食障碍症状的关键桥梁节点。情绪调节障碍的特定维度与不同的进食障碍症状表现出明显的关联。例如，冲动维度与节食有关。目标维度与较低水平的暴饮暴食和代偿行为有关。策略维度主要与伴随情绪体验的进食障碍症状有关。
研究结果突出了情绪调节障碍在维持亚临床进食障碍中的作用，并强调了针对情绪理解和接受的有针对性干预的必要性。虽然网络分析为早期进食障碍病理学提供了新的见解，但应考虑横断面设计和依赖自我报告数据等局限性。未来需要进行纵向研究来验证这些关联。
