Publication Date

Summer 2018

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Frederick Grieve (Director), Sally Kuhlenschmidt, and Sarah Wilson

Degree Program

Department of Psychology

Degree Type

Master of Arts

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between mindful eating and eating pathology. This was accomplished by using two measures, the Eating Disorder Inventory, Third Edition (EDI-3), and the Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ). Participants included in this study were 134 students from a midsized mid-south university who were asked to complete a demographics measure, EDI-3, and MEQ. Only three scales from the EDI-3 were considered; Drive for Thinness, Bulimia, and Body Dissatisfaction. Combined they provide an Eating Disorder Risk Composite (EDRC) score. Results indicated that there was no significant relationship between the MEQ overall score and the EDRC score, which implies that there is no relationship between mindful eating and eating pathology, specifically eating disorder risk. Additional analyses revealed significant negative correlations between the Awareness, Disinhibition, and Emotional Response subscales of the MEQ and the EDRC score. This study contributes to the limited research on the relationship between mindful eating and eating pathology. Results from this study indicate that the specific aforementioned factors have a greater impact on eating pathology when compared to the overall concept of mindfulness.

Disciplines

Clinical Psychology | Health Psychology | Psychology

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