Impaired psychosocial functioning and emotion regulation difficulties in eating disorders: a cross-sectional study

Background

Eating disorders (EDs) are severe mental disorders marked by disturbed eating and body-related concerns, leading to significant distress and impairment. However, psychosocial functioning in ED diagnoses remains understudied. Emotion dysregulation is a central feature of EDs, linked to their development and severity, and is known to predict functional impairment in other mental disorders. However, its role in psychosocial functioning in EDs remains unclear. This cross-sectional study aimed to compare psychosocial functioning across ED diagnoses, identify subgroups based on emotion dysregulation, and examine the association between emotion regulation and psychosocial functioning while controlling for key clinical and demographic factors.