Associations between eating disorders and difficulties with emotion regulation in a sample of adolescent boys and young adult men

This study aimed to examine the association between eating disorders and emotion regulation difficulties in a sample of adolescent boys and young adult men in Canada and the United States (2024; N = 925). Multiple linear regression analyses were used to explore whether boys and men with any probable eating disorder (i.e. anorexia nervosa/atypical anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder) had higher scores on the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation-18 (DERS-18) measure, while adjusting for relevant sociodemographic confounders. Participants with any probable eating disorder, compared to those without, had significantly higher total DERS-18 scores (B = 9.03, 95% CI 6.66, 11.39), and higher scores on the clarity (B = 1.14, 95% CI 0.59, 1.69), goals (B = 1.63, 95% CI 0.97, 2.28), impulse (B = 1.43, 95% CI 0.96, 1.90), nonacceptance (B = 2.48, 95% CI 1.79, 3.18), and strategies (B = 2.30, 95% CI 1.71, 2.90) subscales. These findings largely align with and expand prior research on eating disorders and emotion regulation that has predominantly focused on females. Treatment methods that address adaptive emotion regulation abilities of boys and men with eating disorders may have utility, with a particular focus on increasing acceptance of emotions and developing strategies for emotion regulation.