Mindfulness Moderates the Relationship Between Disordered Eating Cognitions and Disordered Eating Behaviors in a Non-Clinical College Sample

Psychological flexibility and mindfulness are two related, but distinct, regulation processes that have been shown to be at
the core of psychological wellbeing. The current study investigated whether these two processes independently moderated the
association between disordered eating cognitions and psychological distress as well as the relation between disordered eating
cognitions and disordered eating behaviors. Non-clinical, ethnically diverse college undergraduates completed a web-based
survey. Of 278 participants (nfemale = 208; nmale = 70) aged 18–24 years old, disordered eating cognitions, mindfulness, and psychological flexibility were related to psychological
distress after controlling for gender, ethnicity, and body mass index. Disordered eating cognitions and mindfulness accounted
for unique variance in disordered eating behaviors. Finally, mindfulness was found to moderate the association between disordered
eating cognitions and disordered eating behaviors.