Body Image Victimization Experiences and Disordered Eating Behaviors among Chinese Female Adolescents: The Role of Body Dissatisfaction and Depression

Body image victimization experiences that include appearance-based teasing, “fat talk,” and negative comments by parents and peers have been found to be associated with female adolescents’ disordered eating behaviors. Using the perspectives of the tripartite influence model and the dual-pathway model, we aimed to investigate the effect of body image victimization experiences on disordered eating behaviors among Chinese female adolescents, as well as the potential mediating role of body dissatisfaction and depression in this association. The participants were 1399 students (M = 13.10 years, range = 11–17) who completed assessments of body image victimization experiences, body dissatisfaction, depression, and disordered eating behaviors. The results indicated that, after controlling for age and body mass index, body image victimization experiences were positively associated with cognitive restraint eating, emotional eating, and uncontrolled eating. Body image victimization experiences influenced cognitive restraint eating through the mediating effect of body dissatisfaction and influenced emotional eating and uncontrolled eating through (a) the mediating effect of depression and (b) the serial mediating effect of body dissatisfaction and depression. These results suggest that programs aiming to prevent and reduce verbal victimization should further regard body image victimization as a key target and that intervention measures for disordered eating behaviors could help promote a better body image among young women and direct them to relieve negative affect through emotion regulation strategies.