The mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and eating disorders

Eating disorders (EDs) are severe psychological conditions that profoundly impact physical health, emotional well-being, and social functioning. These disorders predominantly manifest during adolescence and early adulthood. Although EDs primarily affect young women, there is a growing recognition of their prevalence across all genders and age demographics, often leading to serious long-term consequences. Childhood maltreatment (CM), a pervasive form of early-life adversity, has been consistently linked to a range of psychopathologies, including EDs. CM is also associated with disruptions in emotion-related processes and heightened difficulties in emotion regulation, both of which are closely tied to EDs. Despite these established relationships, the mediating role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CERS) between types of CM and EDs remains underexplored. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of adaptive and maladaptive CERS in the relationship between types of CM and EDs among the general population in Turkiye. A cross-sectional research design was employed, utilizing data obtained from a sample of 352 participants, predominantly female (89%), with a mean age of 29.55 years. Participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire alongside validated measures, including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-33), the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q-13). A series of mediation analyses was conducted using the PROCESS Macro in SPSS version 29. The findings revealed that maladaptive CERS fully mediated the relationship between both sexual abuse and emotional neglect and EDs, whereas it partially mediated the relationship between other types of CM and EDs. However, adaptive CERS did not exhibit a mediating role between any types of CM and EDs. These results highlight the critical role of maladaptive CERS in the link between CM and EDs, emphasizing the need for interventions aimed at reducing reliance on maladaptive strategies.