Associations between pathological eating, relational attitudes and satisfaction in romantic relationships

Abstract

Objective: Women with disordered eating report low satisfaction from romantic relationships. We wished to examine whether this may be explained in part by a restricted or inflated sense of relational entitlement, pathological concern and low authenticity levels.

Method: A community sample of 170 women aged 18-60 (M = 24.89 + 6.22), who had experienced a meaningful romantic relationship, completed questionnaires online. These included measures of disordered eating (EDE-Q), sense of relational entitlement (SRE-R), pathological concern (PCQ), relational authenticity (AIRS) and basic relational needs satisfaction (BNSRS). Structural equation model (SEM) was employed to assess the mediating effect of the SRE-R, PCQ and AIRS on the association between ED symptoms and BNSRS.

Results: Participants with high EDE-Q scores tended to score high on inflated and restricted SRE-R, PCQ, AIRS and BNSRS. SRE-R, PCQ and AIRS scores mediated the negative association between EDE-Q and BNSRS scores.

Conclusions: An imbalanced sense of relational entitlement, pathological concern and inauthenticity seem to underlie the dissatisfaction that women with disordered eating experience from romantic relationships. Since these relational characteristics seem to take a high toll on the intimate relationships, it is important to encourage healthy eating attitudes and assertiveness within romantic relationships, in life and in therapy.

Level of evidence: Level III: evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.

Keywords: Authenticity; Disordered eating; Pathological concern; Satisfaction in romantic relationships; Sense of relational entitlement.