1 - (SYM 57) Examining the Prospective Effects of Internalized Sexual Minority Stigma on Disordered Eating Through Valence-specific Emotion Regulation Difficulties

The psychological mediation framework proposes that minority stress operates on common psychological processes (e.g., emotion regulation [ER]) to confer risk for psychopathology. Previous research has examined this framework and found that minority stress is atemporally associated with disordered eating through negative ER difficulties in a sample of sexual minority (SM) participants. No studies have tested the temporal associations with ER difficulties (both positive and negative) on multiple disordered eating behaviors. The present study examined the indirect effects of internalized stigma through positive and negative ER difficulties on changes in disordered eating behaviors over 12 weeks. Participants were 320 cisgender SM men (n=161) and women (n=159) recruited from Prolific Academic. Participants were predominantly bisexual (62.8%), not Hispanic/Latinx (87.5%), and White (70.0%). The Internalized Homophobia Scale, Perth Emotion Regulation Competency Inventory, and Eating Pathology Symptom Inventory (EPSI) were completed at baseline, 6-week, and 12-week follow-up. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the effects of baseline internalized stigma on 12-week follow-up EPSI Binge Eating, Purging, Restriction, and Excessive Exercise through ER difficulties at 6-week follow-up controlling for baseline EPSI scores. The positive ER difficulties model fit the data well; c² (12)=17.72, p=.124, RMSEA=0.04 [< .01, .07], CFI=.99, SRMR=.03. There were significant indirect positive effects of internalized stigma through positive ER difficulties on EPSI Binge Eating b=.04 [.01, .09] and Purging b=.02 [< .01, .05]. Internalized stigma predicted higher positive ER difficulties, which in turn predicted increases in purging and binge eating. The negative ER difficulties model fit the data well; c² (12)=18.61, p=.098, RMSEA=0.04 [< .01, .08], CFI=.99, SRMR=.03. There were significant indirect effects of internalized stigma through negative ER difficulties on EPSI Binge Eating b=.03 [< .01, .06], Purging b=.02 [.01, .03], and Restriction b=.02 [.01, .04]. Internalized stigma predicted higher negative ER difficulties, which in turn predicted increases in binge eating, purging, and restriction. Results support the psychological mediation framework for minority stress. Our findings highlight two viable targets, internalized stigma and ER difficulties, for affirmative interventions in SM people experiencing disordered eating.