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Symposia

Eating Disorders

Current Directions in the Study of Emotion Regulation and Disordered Eating: Methodology, Underrepresented Populations, and Understudied Constructs

2 - (SYM 57) Perceived Co-regulation of Negative Emotions and Eating Disorder Psychopathology

Sunday, November 23, 2025
12:37 PM - 12:54 PM CST
Location: Empire B, Level 2
Keywords: Emotion Regulation, Eating, LGBTQ+
Recommended Readings: Denning, D. M., DeFontes, C. G., Lawrence, E., Waite, E. E., & Dixon-Gordon, K. L. (2024). Difficulties in interpersonal regulation of emotion in relation to disordered eating. Eating disorders, 32(2), 140-152.,   Gillikin, L. M., Manasse, S. M., & van Dyk, I. S. (2021). An examination of emotion regulation as a mechanism underlying eating disorder pathology in lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Eating Behaviors, 41, 101508.,   Selby, E. A., Bodell, L. P., & Haynos, A. F. (2024). Positive emotion dysregulation in eating disorders and dysregulated eating behaviors. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1437889.,   ,  
Abstract Body
Traditionally, emotion regulation research in eating disorders (EDs) has focused on intrapersonal, or within person, emotion regulation strategy use. Recent research has begun to explore interpersonal emotion regulation, or using others to manage emotions, and its impact on ED pathology. The few studies that have explored interpersonal emotion regulation and EDs have shown that interpersonal emotion regulation difficulties, broadly, are associated with greater ED symptoms. Less is known about how specific interpersonal strategies are associated with symptoms. On the intrapersonal level, reappraisal, acceptance, and problem solving have been generally classified as “adaptive” due to their associations with lower ED symptoms, whereas rumination and suppression have been termed “maladaptive” due to their association with greater ED symptoms. It is unknown if similar associations are found when these strategies are used interpersonally for coregulation. Pairs of undergraduate female friends (N=240, ndyad=120) individually completed measures of emotion regulation and psychopathology, including the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). Participants reported on their use of co-regulation strategies (i.e., rumination, distraction, reappraisal, acceptance) with their friend. We categorized co-regulation with rumination and distraction as maladaptive and coregulation with reappraisal and acceptance as adaptive. Multilevel models, nested within dyads, were used to assess co-regulation’s effect on EDE-Q total scores, while adjusting for age and body mass index. Adaptive co-regulation was not associated with EDE-Q scores (p=.88); however, greater maladaptive co-regulation was associated with higher EDE-Q total scores (p< .001). Findings support extending the conceptualization of rumination and distraction as maladaptive to the interpersonal context of coregulation. It is possible that maladaptive co-regulation may contribute to eating disorder pathology. Future studies should explore factors that influence this relationship and its impact over time.