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Suicide attempts and premature mortality due to suicide are elevated in people with eating disorders. Informed by the interpersonal theory of suicide, two studies examined the role of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness in explaining the association between eating disorder symptoms and suicide risk. Results indicated that various eating disorder symptoms had an indirect effect on suicide risk through perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness. Targeting perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness may be useful for decreasing suicide risk among undergraduates with eating disorder symptoms.

The mechanisms through which childhood neglect leads to disordered eating behaviors are not well-understood, and these phenomena have been particularly understudied in men. The current study examined the associations between physical and emotional neglect occurring in childhood and 2 types of disordered eating symptoms (binge eating and drive for muscularity) among college men and women. Specifically, it was hypothesized that the relations between childhood physical and emotional neglect and eating disorder symptoms would be mediated by alexithymia. Participants (N = 1344) completed self-report measures through an online system. Four moderated mediation models were tested to examine our proposed mediation model in the context of potential gender differences. Consistent with prediction, our analyses revealed significant associations between childhood physical and emotional neglect and 2 types of disordered eating symptoms, and alexithymia mediated these relationships. Contrary to our hypothesis, gender moderated the relationship between alexithymia and binge eating, but not drive for muscularity. Childhood neglect, both physical and emotional, was associated with higher levels of binge eating in women, but not men. These findings suggest that the experience of neglect in early childhood may be related to certain types of eating disorder symptoms through its impact on the ability to identify, experience, and express one’s own emotions.

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