Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39825983›Full record

ArticleEating and weight disorders : EWD2025

The risk of believing that emotions are bad and uncontrollable: association with orthorexia nervosa.

L Vuillier, M Greville-Harris, R L Moseley

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In one paragraph

Article in Eating and weight disorders : EWD, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

L VuillierFaculty of Science and Technology, Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK. lrenshawvuillier@bournemouth.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6502-0676
M Greville-HarrisFaculty of Science and Technology, Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8191-9614
R L MoseleyFaculty of Science and Technology, Department of Psychology, Bournemouth University, Poole, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5985-6175

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study aimed to explore emotional functioning in individuals with varying levels of orthorexia nervosa (ON) symptoms. Given the established links between emotion dysregulation and other eating disorders (EDs), and the conceptualization of ON within the ED spectrum, this research sought to examine the relationships between ON symptomatology and emotion regulation strategies, alexithymia, and beliefs about emotions.

methodsA large sample (N = 562) completed self-report measures with high psychometric properties, assessing ON traits (E-DOS), emotion regulation strategies (DERS-SF and ERQ), alexithymia (TAS-20), and beliefs about emotions (ERQ). The study used well-validated measures to address limitations of previous research.

resultsIndividuals with high ON traits demonstrated difficulties in most aspects of emotional functioning compared to those with low ON traits. Suppression, but not reappraisal, partially mediated the relationship between beliefs about emotions and ON symptoms. Believing emotions are bad or useless, difficulty controlling impulses, and relying on suppression to regulate emotions were most strongly associated with ON symptoms.

conclusionThis study provides evidence that emotion dysregulation plays an important role in ON symptomatology. The findings suggest that when emotions feel unhelpful or uncontrollable, and maladaptive strategies like suppression are employed, individuals may seek perceived control through pathologically 'healthy' eating. There is currently no diagnosis criteria for ON, and consequently no clear treatment pathway. Our research suggests that specific aspects of emotional functioning such as beliefs about the usefulness of emotions or difficulties with feeling out of control when upset may be a useful treatment target to help individuals with ON develop healthier coping mechanisms and reduce reliance on rigid dietary rules as a means of emotional regulation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: LEVEL III: Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.

Indexed as

Affective SymptomsEmotional RegulationEmotionsFeeding and Eating DisordersFeeding BehaviorAdolescentAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSelf ReportYoung AdultBeliefsControllabilityEating disorderEmotion regulationOrthorexia nervosa

Identifiers

PMID39825983
PMCPMC11742882

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.