People in the Western society generally endorse disordered eating-related cognitions. These cognitions include, but are not limited to, perceived importance of having an ideal weight and shape as a means of achieving self-acceptance, self-control over diet and weight, and acceptance by others (Cooper et al., 1997, Fairburn, 2008 and Mizes et al., 2000). In both clinical and non-clinical samples, research has shown that these cognitions are associated not only with symptoms of eating disorders (EDs), but also with negative psychological outcomes non-specific to EDs, such as functional impairment and general psychological ill-health (Bohn et al., 2008, Masuda et al., 2010 and Stice et al., 1998).
Recent literature seems to suggest that disordered eating-related cognitions do not necessarily lead to greater psychological distress, however (e.g., Brannan & Petrie, 2008). For example, mindfulness-based cognitive behavior therapies, such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT; Segal, Teasdale, & Williams, 2004), state that psychological distress is attributed mainly to a maladaptive way of experiencing or responding to the negative cognitions and associated events. According to these interventions, when “negative” thoughts and feelings are experienced non-judgmentally as mental events, rather than as the absolute truth of one's life, maladaptive and avoidance-based coping strategies, which often exacerbate psychological distress further, are unlikely to occur.
1.1. Mindfulness
The construct of mindfulness seems particularly relevant in the present research context. Mindfulness has become one of the most widely studied topics in clinical psychology over the past several years because of its link to greater psychological health (e.g., Baer, 2006). Although the conceptualization of mindfulness varies among researchers and practitioners, it is often defined as a process of enhanced attention to and nonjudgmental awareness of present moment experience (Brown & Ryan, 2003).
Research shows that mindfulness, when conceptualized in this way, is inversely related to a wide range of negative psychological outcomes, including depression and anxiety (Brown & Ryan, 2003), general psychological distress (Baer, Smith, Hopkins, Krietemeyer, & Toney, 2006), and emotional distress in stressful interpersonal contexts (Beitel, Ferrer, & Cecero, 2005). Additionally, evidence seems to suggest a possible inverse link between mindfulness and disordered eating-related cognitions (Lavender, Jardin, & Anderson, 2009). Furthermore, a study suggests that mindfulness may potentially mediate the link between disordered eating-related cognitions and psychological distress (Masuda et al., 2010).
1.2. Present study
The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether mindfulness mediates the link between disordered eating-related cognitions and negative psychological outcomes. One of the predicted variables was general psychological ill-health, a good indicator of general psychopathology (e.g., Bond & Bunce, 2000). The other variable was emotional distress in stressful interpersonal situations. This variable was selected because issues around disordered-eating spectrum concerns are often stressful and interpersonal in nature (Fairburn, 2008). Given existing literature (e.g., Masuda et al., 2010), it was hypothesized that mindfulness at least partially mediates the link between conviction of disordered eating-related cognitions and the two predicted variables.
