Adaptive and Maladaptive Coping Strategies as Mediators of the Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Disordered Eating in Young Adults
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background: Perceived stress is identified as a key risk factor for disordered eating among young adults. However, the mechanism behind this relationship remains inconclusive. This study evaluated whether adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies mediate the relationship between perceived stress and multiple facets of disordered eatingMethods: A sample of 750 young adults (Mage=20.10, SD=3.69; 81.7% women) completed validated self-report measures assessing perceived stress (PSS-10), coping styles (Brief-COPE), and eating pathology (EPSI). Parallel mediation models evaluated indirect effects, controlling for depression and anxiety symptoms (DASS-21).Results: Linear regressions indicated that higher perceived stress significantly predicted higher scores across all subscales of the EPSI (p<.001). Parallel mediation models revealed that maladaptive coping significantly mediated the associations between perceived stress and both body dissatisfaction (β=.14, 95%CI [.09, .19]) and dietary restriction (β=.18, 95%CI [.12, .24]). However, adaptive coping showed no significant indirect effect for either pathway. Gender-stratified models indicated stronger direct associations across eating pathology dimensions in women than in men.Conclusions: Maladaptive coping mechanisms serve as a primary statistical pathway through which perceived stress relates to body dissatisfaction and restricting behaviours in young adults. Prevention and clinical interventions on university campuses should target the reduction of maladaptive coping strategies to mitigate stress-associated eating pathology.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Authors: Jasmine Hooke, Stella Kozmer, Cassandra J Lowe
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7216336215