Insecure attachment and maladaptive schema in disordered eating: The mediating role of rejection sensitivity

AimThe current study aimed to assess insecure attachment and the disconnection and rejection domain of maladaptive schema in the context of disordered eating. Rejection sensitivity (RS) was proposed as a mediator between maladaptive schema and disordered eating. MethodThe sample consisted of 108 female participants with a lifetime eating disorder diagnosis and 508 female control participants. Participants were asked to complete a number of self-report measures related to insecure attachment (anxious and avoidant), maladaptive schema (emotional deprivation, abandonment, mistrust, social isolation, and defectiveness), RS (interpersonal and appearance-based), and disordered eating. ResultsPath analysis indicated that anxious attachment was associated with disordered eating through multiple pathways involving emotional deprivation, abandonment, interpersonal RS, and appearance-based RS. Avoidant attachment was not related to disordered eating behaviours. ConclusionThe results indicate that both interpersonal and appearance-based RS are important mediators for the relationships between insecure attachment, maladaptive schema, and disordered eating.