Body dissatisfaction and restrained eating: Mediating effects of self-esteem

Mixed results have been found in studies of the relationship between body dissatisfaction and restrained eating, and self-esteem (Flament et al., 2012; Forrester-Knauss, Perren, & Alsaker, 2012; Wilksch & Wade, 2004). We investigated if body dissatisfaction significantly predicted restrained eating and if restrained eating was affected by body dissatisfaction through the mediation of self-esteem. The Negative Physical Self Scale-Fatness Scale (NPSS-F; Chen, Jackson, & Huang, 2006), the State Self-Esteem Scale (SSES; Heatherton & Polivy, 1991), and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-Revised 18-item version (TFEQ-R18; Karlsson, Persson, Sjöström, & Sullivan, 2000) were administered to 376 Chinese women undergraduates. Results showed that body dissatisfaction, as measured with the NPSS-F, was positively related to restrained eating, and self-esteem mediated in the relationship between body dissatisfaction and restrained eating. Therefore, restrained eating was affected not only directly by body dissatisfaction, but also indirectly by body dissatisfaction through the mediation of self-esteem.