Objective:The present study aims to determine the potential mediating role of intrusive imagery in the correlation between body dissatisfaction and the risk of eating disorders in college students. The effects of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression were also investigated.Methods:Using convenient sampling method, a total of 5 746 participants from four cities in China completed on line the Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction with Body Parts Scale, Intrusive Visual Imagery Questionnaire, Eating Disorder Inventory, and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire to investigate the level of body dissatisfaction, the level of intrusive imagery, the risk of eating disorders, and the utilization of emotion regulation strategies in college students. Mediational analysis with multiple regression were conducted to reveal the potential roles of intrusive imagery as a mediation factor and the two emotion regulation strategies as moderators.Results:Body dissatisfaction was positively related to the risk of eating disorders (β=0.19, t=13.03, P<0.01). This correlation remained significant when intrusive imagery was introduced as a mediating factor (β=0.09, t=7.00, P<0.01). Both cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression could moderate the relationship of body dissatisfaction and intrusive imagery, as well as the relationship of body dissatisfaction and the risk of eating disorders. Simple slope analysis showed that higher tendency of using cognitive reappraisal was associated with enhanced impact of body dissatisfaction on invasive imagery (simple slope=0.28 and 0.24, for high score cognitive-reappraisal individuals and low-score ones, respectively, P<0.01) and on the risk of eating disorders (simple slope=0.29 and 0.23, for high-score and low-score individuals, respectively, P<0.01). Similarly, higher tendency of using expressive suppression was associated with enhanced impact of body dissatisfaction on invasive imagery (simple slope=0.27 and 0.21, for high score expressive-suppression individuals and low-score ones, respectively, P<0.01) and on the risk of eating disorders (simple slope=0.25 and 0.17, for high-score and low-score individuals, respectively, P<0.01). Conclusion:Intrusive imagery plays a mediating role in the relationship of body dissatisfaction and the risk of eating disorders. Meanwhile, both of the two emotional regulation strategies, cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, moderate the impact of body dissatisfaction, on intrusive imagery and on the risk of eating disorders.

Objective:The present study aims to determine the potential mediating role of intrusive imagery in the correlation between body dissatisfaction and the risk of eating disorders in college students. The effects of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression were also investigated.Methods:Using convenient sampling method, a total of 5 746 participants from four cities in China completed on line the Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction with Body Parts Scale, Intrusive Visual Imagery Questionnaire, Eating Disorder Inventory, and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire to investigate the level of body dissatisfaction, the level of intrusive imagery, the risk of eating disorders, and the utilization of emotion regulation strategies in college students. Mediational analysis with multiple regression were conducted to reveal the potential roles of intrusive imagery as a mediation factor and the two emotion regulation strategies as moderators.Results:Body dissatisfaction was positively related to the risk of eating disorders (β=0.19, t=13.03, P<0.01). This correlation remained significant when intrusive imagery was introduced as a mediating factor (β=0.09, t=7.00, P<0.01). Both cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression could moderate the relationship of body dissatisfaction and intrusive imagery, as well as the relationship of body dissatisfaction and the risk of eating disorders. Simple slope analysis showed that higher tendency of using cognitive reappraisal was associated with enhanced impact of body dissatisfaction on invasive imagery (simple slope=0.28 and 0.24, for high score cognitive-reappraisal individuals and low-score ones, respectively, P<0.01) and on the risk of eating disorders (simple slope=0.29 and 0.23, for high-score and low-score individuals, respectively, P<0.01). Similarly, higher tendency of using expressive suppression was associated with enhanced impact of body dissatisfaction on invasive imagery (simple slope=0.27 and 0.21, for high score expressive-suppression individuals and low-score ones, respectively, P<0.01) and on the risk of eating disorders (simple slope=0.25 and 0.17, for high-score and low-score individuals, respectively, P<0.01). Conclusion:Intrusive imagery plays a mediating role in the relationship of body dissatisfaction and the risk of eating disorders. Meanwhile, both of the two emotional regulation strategies, cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, moderate the impact of body dissatisfaction, on intrusive imagery and on the risk of eating disorders.