Disordered eating in young Chinese adults: role of parenting styles, attachment anxiety, and negative coping styles.

Background: Disordered eating (DE) is prevalent among young adults and poses significant risks to their physical and mental health. Parenting styles have been shown to strongly influence DE. This study investigates the roles of attachment anxiety and negative coping styles as psychological mediators in the relationship between parenting styles and DE among young Chinese adults.

Method: A total of 814 university students aged 17-23 (49.0% female, M = 20.05 years, SD = 1.24) from southeastern coastal universities in China participated in this study. Participants completed the short-form Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran for Chinese (EMBU-C, assessing parenting styles), the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Short (ECR-12, measuring attachment anxiety), the Short Form Coping Style Questionnaire (SFCSQ, evaluating negative coping styles), and the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26, assessing DE).

Result: Attachment anxiety significantly mediated the relationships between parental rejection and DE, with indirect effects of 0.20 (95% CI [0.10, 0.31]) for both paternal and maternal rejection. Similarly, attachment anxiety mediated the relationships between parental overprotection and DE, with indirect effects of 0.13 (95% CI [0.06, 0.21]) for paternal overprotection and 0.12 (95% CI [0.06, 0.20]) for maternal overprotection. Furthermore, attachment anxiety and negative coping styles formed a serial mediation pathway in these relationships, with indirect effects of 0.07 (95% CI [0.03, 0.12]) for both paternal and maternal rejection, 0.05 (95% CI [0.02, 0.08]) for paternal overprotection, and 0.04 (95% CI [0.02, 0.08]) for maternal overprotection.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates the complex interplay between parenting styles and DE in young adults, emphasizing the significant roles of attachment anxiety and negative coping styles as mediators. These findings provide valuable insights for developing interventions targeting psychological factors and coping strategies to effectively prevent and address DE in young Chinese adults.