Abstract

This study aimed to explore the psychological mechanisms by which women’s self-objectification contributes to disordered eating, specifically examining the sequential mediating roles of emotion dysregulation and depression. A total of 158 Korean women (mean age=39.16) completed self-reported measures assessing self-objectification, emotion dysregulation, depression, and disordered eating. The findings indicated that women’s self-objectification was directly linked to disordered eating, with this relationship mediated by emotion dysregulation and depression. However, contrary to expectations, emotion dysregulation and depression did not sequentially mediate the connection between self-objectification and disordered eating. Further analysis of the various aspects of emotion dysregulation revealed that the relationship between women’s self-objectification and disordered eating was sequentially mediated only by the strategies, goals, and clarity components of emotion dysregulation and depression. This study contributes to the existing literature by elucidating the processes through which women’s self-objectification leads to disordered eating and underscores the importance of addressing self-objectification and emotion dysregulation in interventions.