When Love Hurts: The Path From Psychological Maltreatment to Disordered Eating via Negative Cognitive Coping in Emerging Adult Women

Psychological maltreatment is a prevalent form of interpersonal abuse in romantic relationships, with many victims reporting their first experience before the age of 25 years. Such maltreatment correlates with a number of negative mental health problems, including the development of negative body esteem and disordered eating. This study examined links between psychological maltreatment, body image, and disordered eating and assessed negative cognitive coping strategies (e.g., self-blame and detachment) as mediators of this relationship. Participants were 226 undergraduate women at a midwestern U.S. university who completed measures of psychological maltreatment, coping styles, and various body image and disordered eating inventories. We found that psychological maltreatment was associated with decreases in body esteem and increases in disordered eating behavior. Additionally, for disordered eating and overweight preoccupation, negative cognitive coping mediated these effects. Findings highlight the benefits of therapeutic strategies emphasizing the importance of healthy cognitive coping and social support, especially for the prevention of body image disturbance and disordered eating in victims of psychological maltreatment.