Mediating Roles of Psychological Distress, Insomnia, and Body Image Concerns in the Association Between Exercise Addiction and Eating Disorders

Abstract

Purpose Exercising can promote good health. However, excessive exercising may have downsides. This study examined the association between exercise addiction and eating disorders and whether the identified association was mediated by psychological distress, insomnia (including sleep quality), and body image concern. Methods A total of 2088 adolescents (mean age of 15.3 years) participated in this cross-sectional study by questions assessing exercise addiction, eating disorders, psychological distress, insomnia, sleep quality, and body image concern. Results There were significantly positive relationships between the variables (r=0.12–0.54, p<0.01) with effect sizes from small to large. The four potential mediators (ie, insomnia, sleep quality, psychological distress, and body image concern), individually and in total, significantly mediated the association between exercise addiction and eating disorders. Conclusion The findings suggest that exercise addiction in adolescents may influence eating disorders through multiple pathways, such as insomnia, psychological distress, and body image concerns. Future research should examine these relationships longitudinally and use gathered information to inform intervention development. Clinicians and healthcare workers are encouraged to assess exercise addiction when treating individuals with eating disorders.

Unveiling the Obsession: Exercise Addiction among Female Amateur Runners in Delhi-NCR and the Power of Unwavering Commitment

“…Besides stress management, EA among women is linked to eating problems and body shaming due to social acceptance of exercising with no limit tag (Ahorsu et al , 2023). [ 20 ] Commitment to one’s health-related good habits is good, but going overboard in this process will do more harm than good.…”

Recent insights in the correlation between social media use, personality traits and exercise addiction: a literature review

“…A general weakness in EA investigation is represented by the size and the quality of the population involved in the studies. Indeed, only four studies considered at least 1,000 individuals (31,35,41,45), and only one investigated over 10,000 participants (43). Moreover, the adult population were the most examined while only one-third of the studies included the adolescent population.…”