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Symposia

Eating Disorders

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

3 - (SYM 57) The Moderating Role of Valence-specific Urgency Between Emotion Regulation Difficulties with Disordered Eating in a Clinically Elevated Sample of College Students

Sunday, November 23, 2025
12:54 PM - 1:11 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

An estimated 3.3 million people die from eating disorders (EDs) annually, making EDs a universal health crisis. ED rates particularly elevated among college students. Etiological models have consistently highlighted the critical role of emotion regulation (ER) and impulsivity in the development of EDs, which have also become salient treatment targets. While studies have established strong associations between negative ER, impulsivity, and ED symptoms, findings regarding positive-valanced emotional difficulties remain sparse mixed due to the growing body of research and significant variability across studies.

To address this gap, we adopted a transdiagnostic approach to examine the additive and multiplicative associations between valence-specific urgency and ER difficulties in relation to disordered eating behaviors (e.g., fasting, binge eating, purging, and excessive exercise) among college students. In this presentation, we describe:


  1. How positive and negative urgency, as well as ER difficulties, correlate with various ED behaviors.

  2. The interactive effects of valence-specific ER difficulties and urgency on ED symptoms.


Our sample consisted of 181 college students with elevated clinical severity, drawn from a larger study investigating the effects of ER difficulties on risky behaviors. Participants completed self-report measures for (1) negative and positive ER difficulties (DERS & P-DERS), (2) negative and positive urgency (UPPS-P), and (3) ED behaviors (e.g., binge eating, purging, fasting, and excessive exercise; EDDS).

Contrary to prior work, our results suggest that positive ER difficulties were significantly associated with binge eating (b = 0.70, p < .001) and fasting frequency (b = 0.69, p = .010) at low levels of positive urgency. Additionally, positive ER difficulties were significantly associated with purging frequency at both low (b = 1.41, p < .001) and high levels of positive urgency (b = 0.72, p < .001). Furthermore, negative ER difficulties were significantly associated with binge eating frequency at low levels of negative urgency (b = 0.51, p < .001).

Investigating these interactive effects provides valuable insight into how positive and negative ER jointly contribute to ED symptomatology. This understanding can inform more effective ED treatments that not only target ER, but also incorporate both positive and negative emotions in the treatment process.