(PS5-59) How Do We Cope? The Moderating Role of Avoidance in the Prospective Relationship between Compulsive Exercise and Binge Eating

Abstract Text: Compulsive exercise, a common symptom of eating disorders (ED), is characterized by an overwhelming urge to exercise. The depletion of energy from compulsive exercise may increase the physiological need for calories, potentially leading to binge eating. Coping style is a growing research area in the context of ED, potentially as a risk factor for binge eating. Among coping literature, three primary coping styles are consistently referenced: problem-focused coping, emotional-focused coping, and avoidant coping. Eating disorder symptoms, such as disordered eating and compulsive exercise, have been linked with avoidant coping style. This is consistent with the Escape Theory, which posits that binge eating behavior is rooted in the desire to avoid or reduce self-awareness. Avoidant coping may exacerbate the relationship between compulsive exercise and binge eating. The present study investigated the moderating role of avoidant coping in the relationship between compulsive exercise and binge eating. A secondary analysis on an existing dataset was conducted to investigate whether avoidant coping style moderated the prospective relationship between compulsive exercise and binge eating. Participants (N=146; 54.1% men, 45.9% women) aged between 20-77 years old (M=42.10, SD=13.66) participated in this study via CloudResearch, where they completed online questionnaires at two time points, about 4-6 weeks apart. For the purpose of this study, data on the Compulsive Exercise Test (CET) at Time 1 (T1), binge eating subscale of the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (EPSI) at Time 2 (T2), and the avoidant coping subscale of the Brief-Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced Inventory (Brief-COPE) at T1 were used. A moderation analysis using Hayes PROCESS Macro model 1 revealed a significant interaction between T1 avoidant coping style and T1 compulsive exercise on T2 binge eating, b = .40, SE = .16, t = 2.46, p = .01, 95% CI [.08, .72]. The relationship between compulsive exercise and binge eating was significant when avoidant coping was moderate (effect = .31, SE = .11, t = 2.81, 95% CI [.09, .53]) and high (effect = .56, SE = .16, t = 3.51, 95% CI [.25, .88]), but not when avoidant coping was low (effect = .06, SE = .14, t = .43, 95% CI [-.22, .34]). The model accounted for 44.8% of the variance, F(3,142) = 38.42, p < .0000 in binge eating. The results showed that avoidant coping moderated the relationship between compulsive exercise and binge eating. Compulsive exercise increases the risk for binge eating when avoidant coping is present. Interventions may benefit from targeting compulsive exercise and avoidant coping as treatment targets for binge eating. Furthermore, those with avoidant coping style may be at particular risk for binge eating when they already engage in compulsive behaviors.