A Longitudinal Study on the Association Between Facets of Mindfulness and Disinhibited Eating

Disinhibited eating (i.e., emotional and external eating), as well as associated features such as binge eating, bulimic symptoms, and eating concern are inversely associated with the mindfulness facets of acting with awareness, observing, and non-reactivity. However, it is unclear whether higher mindfulness is a precursor to lower disinhibited eating behaviors and symptoms or whether lower disinhibited eating behaviors and symptoms are a precursor to higher mindfulness (or both). The current study examined if acting with awareness, non-reactivity, and observing (describing and non-judging were not assessed) prospectively predicted several disinhibited eating features (emotional eating, external eating, bulimic symptoms, binge eating, and eating concern) and vice-versa across 6 months. Young adult women (N = 300) completed measures of these constructs at baseline and 6 months later. Non-reactivity inversely predicted binge eating and bulimic symptoms across 6 months. Observing predicted higher external and emotional eating across 6 months. In the opposite direction, disinhibited eating did not predict observing, non-reactivity, or acting with awareness. Interventions focusing on increasing non-reactivity could be effective in preventing and treating binge eating and bulimic symptoms.