Meaning in life moderates hopelessness, suicide ideation, and borderline psychopathology in participants with eating disorders: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Participants with eating disorders (EDs) experience identity problems, hopelessness, and suicide ideation. Research has confirmed the link between the experience of low meaning in life (MIL) and psychopathology. However, there is a lack of research focusing on MIL in ED. Objectives The objectives of this study are as follows: (a) to analyze whether MIL at baseline moderates the association between ED psychopathology at baseline and borderline symptoms, hopelessness, and suicide ideation at follow‐up and (b) to analyze whether MIL moderates the association between suicide ideation, hopelessness, and borderline symptoms at baseline and at the 7‐month follow‐up. Method The sample was composed of 300 participants with ED at baseline and 122 at the 7‐month follow‐up. The participants filled out the Purpose in Life, Eating Attitude Test, Borderline Symptoms List, Hopelessness Scale, and Suicide Ideation Scale. Results (a) MIL at baseline moderated the association between ED psychopathology at baseline and borderline symptoms, hopelessness, and suicide ideation at the follow‐up; (b) MIL moderated the association between suicide ideation, hopelessness, and borderline symptoms at baseline and at the 7‐month follow‐up. Conclusion MIL could be a relevant variable in the ED psychopathology.

Meaning in Life Mediates Between Emotional Deregulation and Eating Disorders Psychopathology: A Research From the Meaning-Making Model of Eating Disorders

“…We want to highlight that meaning in life has a greater association with body satisfaction than with emotional dysregulation and negative attitudes and behaviors toward food and the body. Furthermore, these results agree with previous studies indicating that meaning in life is an important variable in participants with ED (Marco et al, 2020b), as well as other qualitative studies on the FIGURE 1 | The meaning in life is a mediating variable between the emotional deregulation and binge eating disorder psychopathology, and depression in young adult women without eating disorders. DER, emotional deregulation; PIL, purpose in life; BDI, Beck Depression Inventory; BAS, body area satisfaction.…”

“…Furthermore, meaning in life was highly and positively related to body satisfaction and negatively associated with concern about being overweight and negative attitudes toward food (Marco et al, 2019). Subsequently, a longitudinal study found that meaning in life was a buffer of the course of the ED, specifically of dysfunctional attitudes and behaviors toward food, hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and impulsiveness and emotional instability (Marco et al, 2020b).…”

“…For a more integrated and operational view of the role of meaning in life in ED patients, Marco et al (2020b) proposed the Meaning-Making Model in Eating Disorders (MMMED). This model shares Frankl's (2006) premises: (a) the need to find meaning in life is a fundamental motivating factor in human beings; (b) low meaning in life is a vulnerability factor for developing emotional disorders, and meaning in life is a protector factor against psychopathology; (c) meaning in life can only be discovered in genuine and authentic sources of meaning (creating something, loving someone or something, facing a painful and unavoidable situation) that will lead to the discovery of an individual meaning in life at each moment and for each person differently; (d) the search for meaning in dysfunctional sources would impede the development of authentic and genuine meaning, leading to the absence of meaning in life.…”

“…In the short term, the ED symptoms could be dysfunctional strategies that give people a sense of structure, consistency in their lives, and identity (Serpell et al, 1999;Fox and Leung, 2009), creating a new coherent meaning in life ("After losing weight I am attractive, I control my body, and so I am perfect"; "I am Anorexic"). However, in the long term, if individuals with ED are oriented toward dysfunctional goals and values, including control of their bodies, weight, and food, and they avoid negative emotions and anxiety situations, which keeps them from developing an authentic and genuine sense of meaning in life, this leads to an absence of meaning in life, depression, hopelessness, suicidal ideation, and developing characteristic symptoms of borderline personality disorder (Marco et al, 2020b).…”

Meaning‐making as a mediator of anxiety and depression reduction during cognitive behavioral therapy intervention in participants with adjustment disorders

“…For example, Disabato, Kashdan, Short, and Jarden (2017) found that higher levels of meaning in life predicted decreased levels of depression after 3 and 6 months in nonclinical adults. Marco, Cañabate, Llorca, and Pérez (2020), in a study with a clinical sample, found that meaning in life moderated the association between suicide ideation at baseline and at the 7‐month follow‐up and that meaning in life moderated the association between hopelessness at baseline and at the 7‐month follow‐up. Thus, meaning in life was a moderator and independent variable from hopelessness and suicidal ideation (both are core symptoms of depression).…”