Emotion Dysregulation as a Mediator of the Relationship between Anxiety, Compulsive Exercise and Eating Disorder Symptoms in Adolescents
Anxiety has been suggested to be a key contributing factor for compulsive exercise, however, existing literature has demonstrated contradictory relationships between anxiety and compulsive exercise among adolescents. According to the Emotional Cascade Model (ECM), factors such as rumination and emot...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Children |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/12/1088 |
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| author | Cristina Cuesta-Zamora Irene González-Martí Luis Miguel García-López Laura Ros Carolyn R. Plateau Jorge Javier Ricarte |
| author_facet | Cristina Cuesta-Zamora Irene González-Martí Luis Miguel García-López Laura Ros Carolyn R. Plateau Jorge Javier Ricarte |
| author_sort | Cristina Cuesta-Zamora |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Anxiety has been suggested to be a key contributing factor for compulsive exercise, however, existing literature has demonstrated contradictory relationships between anxiety and compulsive exercise among adolescents. According to the Emotional Cascade Model (ECM), factors such as rumination and emotional suppression may mediate the association between affect and exercise. The current study therefore aimed to investigate whether rumination and emotional suppression mediate the relationship between anxiety and compulsive exercise in predicting ED symptoms in adolescents. Questionnaires assessing compulsive exercise, anxiety, depressive rumination, emotional suppression, and ED symptoms were completed by 212 adolescent males (Mage = 13.39, SD = 1.22) and 189 adolescent females (Mage = 13.64, SD = 1.29). The structural equation model showed indirect effects between anxiety and compulsive exercise through rumination and emotional suppression in males but not in females. Moreover, anxiety had an indirect effect on eating disorder symptoms through rumination, emotional suppression and compulsive exercise in both males and females. In line with ECM, the results suggest that rumination and emotional suppression may have a key role in the association between anxiety, compulsive exercise and eating disorder symptoms in adolescents. These findings suggest that compulsive exercise may be used as a dysfunctional coping mechanism to escape from a negative emotional cascade generated by the interaction of anxiety, rumination and emotional suppression. Future longitudinal studies to test the role of compulsive exercise as a dysfunctional behaviour in the ECM are needed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:24:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-61c360d40ff347d5b3cbad99569569e7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:24:45Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-61c360d40ff347d5b3cbad99569569e72023-11-23T07:41:49ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672021-11-01812108810.3390/children8121088Emotion Dysregulation as a Mediator of the Relationship between Anxiety, Compulsive Exercise and Eating Disorder Symptoms in AdolescentsCristina Cuesta-Zamora0Irene González-Martí1Luis Miguel García-López2Laura Ros3Carolyn R. Plateau4Jorge Javier Ricarte5Psychology Department, Faculty of Education, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, SpainMusic, Arts Education and Physical Education Department, Faculty of Education, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, SpainMusic, Arts Education and Physical Education Department, Faculty of Education, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, SpainPsychology Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02006 Albacete, SpainNational Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine, School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UKPsychology Department, Faculty of Education, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, SpainAnxiety has been suggested to be a key contributing factor for compulsive exercise, however, existing literature has demonstrated contradictory relationships between anxiety and compulsive exercise among adolescents. According to the Emotional Cascade Model (ECM), factors such as rumination and emotional suppression may mediate the association between affect and exercise. The current study therefore aimed to investigate whether rumination and emotional suppression mediate the relationship between anxiety and compulsive exercise in predicting ED symptoms in adolescents. Questionnaires assessing compulsive exercise, anxiety, depressive rumination, emotional suppression, and ED symptoms were completed by 212 adolescent males (Mage = 13.39, SD = 1.22) and 189 adolescent females (Mage = 13.64, SD = 1.29). The structural equation model showed indirect effects between anxiety and compulsive exercise through rumination and emotional suppression in males but not in females. Moreover, anxiety had an indirect effect on eating disorder symptoms through rumination, emotional suppression and compulsive exercise in both males and females. In line with ECM, the results suggest that rumination and emotional suppression may have a key role in the association between anxiety, compulsive exercise and eating disorder symptoms in adolescents. These findings suggest that compulsive exercise may be used as a dysfunctional coping mechanism to escape from a negative emotional cascade generated by the interaction of anxiety, rumination and emotional suppression. Future longitudinal studies to test the role of compulsive exercise as a dysfunctional behaviour in the ECM are needed.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/12/1088compulsive exerciseruminationeating disorder symptomsemotional suppressionadolescents |
| spellingShingle | Cristina Cuesta-Zamora Irene González-Martí Luis Miguel García-López Laura Ros Carolyn R. Plateau Jorge Javier Ricarte Emotion Dysregulation as a Mediator of the Relationship between Anxiety, Compulsive Exercise and Eating Disorder Symptoms in Adolescents Children compulsive exercise rumination eating disorder symptoms emotional suppression adolescents |
| title | Emotion Dysregulation as a Mediator of the Relationship between Anxiety, Compulsive Exercise and Eating Disorder Symptoms in Adolescents |
| title_full | Emotion Dysregulation as a Mediator of the Relationship between Anxiety, Compulsive Exercise and Eating Disorder Symptoms in Adolescents |
| title_fullStr | Emotion Dysregulation as a Mediator of the Relationship between Anxiety, Compulsive Exercise and Eating Disorder Symptoms in Adolescents |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emotion Dysregulation as a Mediator of the Relationship between Anxiety, Compulsive Exercise and Eating Disorder Symptoms in Adolescents |
| title_short | Emotion Dysregulation as a Mediator of the Relationship between Anxiety, Compulsive Exercise and Eating Disorder Symptoms in Adolescents |
| title_sort | emotion dysregulation as a mediator of the relationship between anxiety compulsive exercise and eating disorder symptoms in adolescents |
| topic | compulsive exercise rumination eating disorder symptoms emotional suppression adolescents |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/8/12/1088 |
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