Presenter(s): Rae Fitzpatrick − Family And Human Services
Co Presenter(S): Claire Guidinger, Gina Williamson, Isaac Leve, Sophie Brockie
Faculty Mentor(s): Nichole Kelly
Poster 94
Research Area: Health Psychology And Prevention Science
The current study examined the association between perceived ethnic discrimination and loss of control (LOC) eating in Asian/Asian American men. Six aspects of emotion dysregulation were explored as moderators. Participants (N=266; 18-30y; Mage=24.4±3.6) completed an online survey assessing demographic variables; perceived ethnic discrimination (including both experiences with racism and microaggressions); emotion dysregulation; and LOC eating frequency in the last 28 days. After controlling for body mass index, education, income, and presence of a psychiatric diagnosis, negative binomial regression models revealed that perceived ethnic discrimination in the form of experiences with microaggressions was positively associated with LOC eating frequency, p<.05. Everyday experiences with racism, however, was not significantly associatedwith LOC eating frequency. All six domains of emotion dysregulation were significantly and positively associated with LOC eating frequency, ps<.001-.02. Follow-up moderation models revealed that limited access to emotion regulation strategies, non-acceptance of emotional responses, and lack of emotional clarity moderated the relationship between both perceived microaggressions and LOC eating, and every day experiences with racism and LOC eating. In plotting the moderation effects, it was determined that these maladaptive emotion regulation strategies generally superseded any experiences with microaggressions and racism, with respect to their association with more frequent LOC eating. These findings support an established body of literature identifying emotion dysregulation as a risk factor for disordered eating behavior. Moreover, the positive association between perceived experiences with microaggressions and LOC eating frequency adds to the growing body of evidence linking experiences with microaggressions to poor mental health outcomes.