A moderated-mediation model of disordered eating behavior using family functioning, alexithymia, and rational processing style

Figures & data

Figure 1. Illustration of the proposed relationships between family functioning and DEB, mediated by alexithymia and moderated by rational processing. Direct paths are indicated as → and indirect paths as → . The term DEB is used to represent the successive use of emotional eating, external eating, and restrained eating variables as outcomes.

Table 1. Descriptive data and bivariate correlations among key study variables and covariates

	Range	M	(SD)	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
1. Age	18–25	19.76	(1.80)
2. BMI	16.53–42.32	23.28	(4.63)	.03
3. Family functioning	1.17–4.00	2.92	(0.66)	.09	.01
4. Alexithymia	24.00–81.00	53.45	(11.72)	−.05	.02	−.26***
5. Rational processing	21.00–59.00	41.99	(6.92)	.01	−.04	.06	−.30***
6. Experiential processing	27.00–57.00	42.21	(6.52)	−.03	−.10	.22**	−.28***	.12
7. Emotional eating	1.00–4.85	2.77	(0.83)	−.07	.15	−.17*	.19**	−.20**	−.03
8. External eating	1.60–5.00	3.36	(0.61)	−.06	−.04	−.10	.09	−.15*	−.10	.51***
9. Restrained eating	1.00–5.00	2.85	(0.89)	.02	.12	−.12	.15*	.19**	.06	.12	−.13

Note. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001 (two-tailed).

Table 2. Predictors of alexithymia, with covariates

	Alexithymia
Measures	b	(SE)	95% CIs
Constant	−0.206	(0.912)	−2.097, 1.595
Family functioning	−4.109**	(1.341)	−6.757, −1.461
Covariates
BMI	0.005	(0.186)	−0.363, 0.373
Age	−0.205*	(0.474)	−1.141, −0.731

Note.* p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01.

bs presented are unstandardized regression coefficients.

Table 3. Predictors of DEB, with covariates

	Emotional Eating			External Eating			Restrained Eating
Measures	b	(SE)	95% CIs	b	(SE)	95% CIs	b	(SE)	95% CIs
Constant	2.753***	(0.070)	2.617, 2.889	3.346***	(0.054)	3.240, 3.453	2.892***	(0.072)	2.749, 3.035
Alexithymia	0.009	(0.006)	−0.002, 0.021	0.002	(0.005)	−0.007, 0.011	0.014	(0.006)	0.001, 0.026
Rational processing	−0.017	(0.010)	−0.036, 0.001	−0.011	(0.008)	−0.025, 0.004	0.030**	(0.010)	0.010, 0.050
Interaction	−0.001	(0.001)	−0.003, 0.000	−0.001	(0.001)	−0.002, 0.001	0.002*	(0.001)	0.000, 0.004
Covariates
BMI	0.027*	(0.014)	0.000, 0.054	−0.010	(0.012)	−0.027, 0.015	0.024*	(0.014)	0.005, 0.052
Age	−0.019	(0.034)	−0.087, 0.049	−0.020	(0.027)	−0.073, 0.033	−0.023	(0.036)	−0.048, 0.095

Note.* p < 0.05; ** p < .01; *** p < 0.001.

bs are unstandardized regression coefficients.

Figure 2. Restrained eating scores by alexithymia levels, contingent to rational processing.

Table 4. Conditional indirect effect of family functioning on restrained eating through alexithymia, contingent to rational processing

	Restrained Eating
	B	(SE)	95% CIs
Path a(family functioning to alexithymia)	−4.109	(1.341)	−6.757, −1,461
Path c’(direct path, family functioning to DEB)	−0.146	(0.105)	−0.354, 0.062
Path b1 x b2(interaction of alexithymia to DEB by rational processing)	0.002	(0.001)	0.000, 0.003
Path c(indirect path, family functioning to DEB) for:
−1 SD rational processing	−0.004	(0.035)	−0.073, 0.071
M rational processing	−0.056	(0.036)	−0.140, −0.001
+1 SD rational processing	−0.107	(0.058)	−0.240, −0.018

Note.bs are unstandardized regression coefficients.Confidence intervals (CIs) and standard errors (SE) are bootstrapped estimates (N = 10,000). The term DEB implies restrained eating in this table.

Data Availability Statement

The data included in this article are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.