title: Self-compassion as a moderator of thinness-related pressures' associations with thin-ideal internalization and disordered eating.
abstract: During situations that threaten personal adequacy, people high in self-compassion are kind and caring toward themselves, mindful of their distress, and recognize that being imperfect is part of the human experience. Therefore, self-compassion may offset certain disorders (e.g., eating disorders) associated with environmental threats (e.g., thinness-related pressures). In this cross-sectional study, we explored self-compassion's associations with threats involving thinness-related pressures (from friends, family, partners, and media), thin-ideal internalization, and disordered eating among an online sample of 435 U.S. community women. Findings indicated that self-compassion buffered the links from media thinness-related pressure to disordered eating and thin-ideal internalization. Furthermore, higher self-compassion was directly associated with fewer perceived thinness-related pressures, lower thin-ideal internalization, and lower disordered eating. Collectively, these findings add to the growing conceptualization of self-compassion as beneficial to eating behavior and help justify pursuing rigorous longitudinal and clinical examinations of self-compassion as a protective factor of disordered eating.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, 225 Psychology Building, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. Electronic address: tylka.2@osu.edu.
authors.forename: Tracy L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Tylka
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University at Marion, 1465 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Marion, OH 43302, USA. Electronic address: russell.790@buckeyemail.osu.edu.
authors.forename: Hannah L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University at Marion, 1465 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Marion, OH 43302, USA. Electronic address: neal.323@buckeyemail.osu.edu.
authors.forename: Ashley A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Neal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004645:Empathy; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D012649:Self Concept; D013851:Thinness / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Community women; Disordered eating; Pressures to be thin; Self-compassion; Thin-ideal internalization