Disordered Eating-Related Cognition and Psychological Flexibility as Predictors of Psychological Health Among College Students

Abstract

The present cross-sectional study investigated the relation among disordered eating-related cognition, psychological flexibility, and poor psychological outcomes among a nonclinical college sample. As predicted, conviction of disordered eating-related cognitions was positively associated with general psychological ill-health and emotional distress in interpersonal contexts. Disordered eating-related cognition was also inversely related to psychological flexibility, which was inversely related to poor psychological health and emotional distress in interpersonal contexts. The combination of disordered eating-related cognition and psychological flexibility accounted for the proportion of variance of these poor psychological outcomes greater than disordered eating-related cognition alone. Finally, psychological flexibility accounted for the proportion of variance of these negative psychological variables greater than did disordered eating-related cognition.