The Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Emotion Regulation and Body Image Concern in Women With Binge Eating Disorder

One of the most prevalent eating conditions is Binge Eating Disorder (BED). In examining the factors affecting eating disorders, researchers recognized that one of the most frequent issues in individuals with eating disorders is the concern with body image. The effects of failure to regulate emotions can increase the odds of an excessive disorder. Once Emotion Regulation (ER) fails, self–regulation in other contexts can also present control over eating behaviors. Besides, numerous issues are encountered by women with BED. ER and body image concern is of significant importance in eating disorders. Additionally, mindfulness training focuses on awareness about emotions; thus, it may be effective in appropriately regulating emotions and reducing their anxiety regarding their body image. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of a mindfulness–based intervention on ER and body image concern among females with BED.

This was a quasi–experimental study with a pretest–posttest and a control group design. The statistical population of this study consisted of all women referring to obesity treatment centers in Rasht City, Iran, in 2019; of whom, at least 15 should have been included in the current experimental research. Thirty subjects (n=15/group) who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fifth Edition (DSM–5) criteria for BED were selected and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The inclusion criteria of the study were as follows: women with BED; providing a written informed consent form to participate in the research; not receiving other training or medical interventions simultaneously, and presenting no physical or mental illnesses. The exclusion criteria of the study included no binge eating; reluctance to participate or continuing the research; receiving simultaneous training or other therapeutic interventions, and having chronic physical and mental illnesses. The Emotion Regulation Scale (Gross & John, 2003) and the Body Image Concern Inventory (Littleon et al., 2005) were used for data collection. The experimental group received training for eight 90–minute sessions based on mindfulness protocol (Segal et al., 2018). Data analysis was performed using multivariate analysis of covariance and univariate analysis of covariance at the significance level of 0.005 in SPSS.

The present study results suggested that in the posttest stage, there was a significant difference between the mean scores of the research groups in terms of suppression (p<0.001) and reappraisal (p<0.001). Furthermore, there were significant differences between the mean posttest scores of the study groups concerning body image concerns (p<0.001).

According to the present study results, the provided mindfulness–based intervention could effectively increase ER (including increased reappraisal & reduced emotional suppression) and reduced body image concerns in women with BED; both of which are variables that cause eating disorders. Therefore, more attention is required by health authorities to the role of mindfulness–based interventions on different aspects of health in different groups of society.