An investigation into the relationship between attachment, disordered eating and body dissatisfaction in a mostly nonclinical population

Abstract

There are a number of adverse effects associated with attachment insecurity. However, little research has investigated disordered eating and body dissatisfaction as adverse outcomes that may affect the general population. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships amongst attachment, disordered eating and body dissatisfaction in a nonclinical sample. Correlations, multiple regression and independent samples t-test were conducted using the Experiences in Close Relations Revised Questionnaire (ECR-R), the Eating Disorder Examination Questionairre (EDE-Q) and the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-34) respectively. A total of 224 participants took part in this study. Correlations found strong significant relationships between attachment insecurity, disordered eating and body dissatisfaction and multiple regression found that both anxious and avoidant attachment types predicted a significant amount of variance in disordered eating and body dissatisfaction. The implications of these findings and their applications to the real world are discussed.