Abstract

Disordered eating attitudes encompass maladaptive behaviors related to eating, including restrictive eating and binge eating. These attitudes significantly impact quality of life and are believed to be closely linked to awareness, which is the ability to recognize and respond to internal experiences and external stimuli. However, research exploring the specific mechanisms that connect awareness to disordered eating attitudes is limited. This study aimed to investigate whether emotional dysregulation mediates the relationship between awareness and disordered eating attitudes, and whether this association varies by age group. To achieve this, the Korean version of the Multidimensional Awareness Scale, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Korean version of the Eating Attitudes Test were administered to 799 adults aged 19 and older. Correlation analysis, mediation analysis, and moderated mediation analysis were performed on the collected data. The results showed that awareness was significantly negatively associated with both disordered eating attitudes and emotional dysregulation, while emotional dysregulation was positively associated with disordered eating attitudes. Mediation analysis further confirmed that emotional dysregulation mediated the relationship between awareness and disordered eating attitudes, with the significance of the indirect effect varying by age. Finally, the theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.