Association Between Adult Attachment Styles and Disordered Eating Among a Sample of Lebanese Adults

Abstract

ObjectivesThe current study will be the first to investigate relationships between attachment styles and disordered eating (binge eating, restrained eating, emotional eating, orthorexia tendencies and behaviors, and eating attitudes) and to check if these associations are mediated by body dissatisfaction among Lebanese adults. Designcross-sectional study.Settingall Lebanese governorates.ParticipantsA total of 811 participants was randomly selected to participate in this five-month study (January to May 2018). ResultsHaving an anxious attachment style was significantly associated with higher emotional eating, whereas having an avoidant attachment style was significantly associated with more inappropriate eating (higher EAT-26 scores) and more orthorexia nervosa (lower ORTO-R scores). Finally, having a secure attachment style was significantly associated with more appropriate eating (lower EAT-26 scores). Higher body dissatisfaction was significantly associated with higher orthorexia nervosa (lower ORTO-R scores), higher binge and restrained eating. Body dissatisfaction partially mediated the association between having an anxious attachment style and restrained eating (17.25%), having a secure attachment style and emotional eating (12.53%), eating attitudes (7.12%) and binge eating (21.47%), as well as the association between having an avoidant attachment style and orthorexia nervosa (9.75%). ConclusionIn conclusion, this research showed that attachment insecurity affected the maintenance of disordered eating symptoms and that body dissatisfaction plays a mediator role between adult attachment and disordered eating. Clinicians may consider interviewing or self-reporting measures to assess attachment insecurity.