The Relationship between Alexithymia and Unhealthy Eating Behaviors in Female Students of Tehran Universities in 2019: A Descriptive Study

Due to the increasing prevalence of disordered eating in young women, it is one of the significant issues in psychopathology. Alexithymia plays an important role in unhealthy eating behaviors, but how mood problems lead to unhealthy eating behaviors remains unanswered. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between alexithymia and unhealthy eating behaviors and the mediating role of psychological distress in the relationship between alexithymia and unhealthy eating behaviors.

The research method is descriptive and structural equations modelling. The statistical population was all female students from universities of Science and Culture, Shahid Beheshti, Alzahra, Allame Tabatabaei in Tehran in 2019, from which 350 students were selected by convenience sampling and completed the Dutch Eating Behavior Scale (DEBQ), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10). Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation and path analysis.

Psychological distress was positively associated with alexithymia (r=0.44, p<0.001), external eating behaviors (r=0.28, p<0.001), and emotional eating behaviors (r=0.22, p<0.001). In addition, results of path analysis showed that psychological distress mediated the relationship between alexithymia and unhealthy eating behaviors.

Considering the mediating role of psychological distress in the relationship between alexithymia and unhealthy eating behaviors, using strategies to promote understanding and expressing emotions and reduce psychological distress is recommended. These strategies can be helpful in improving mental health and preventing unhealthy eating behaviors.