ArticleJournal of eating disorders2026
Moral emotions in motion: a cross-sectional study of shame, guilt, and disordered eating in UK university athletes.
Article in Journal of eating disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundThis research focuses on subclinical eating pathology symptoms (EPS) in young adult university athletes, addressing a gap in studies involving nonelite athletes. Social transitions, athletic and academic pressures, body shame, and participation in weight-sensitive sports contribute to an elevated risk of EPS. This study aims to examine how demographic factors (gender, age, type of sport, living arrangements, and duration of membership) and adverse moral emotions (shame and guilt) predict EPS. Additionally, it investigates whether shame and guilt mediate the relationship between sport type and EPS.
methodsParticipants (N = 130), excluding individuals with clinical eating disorders, completed validated self-report measures: the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory and the State Shame and Guilt Scale (SSGS). Ethical approval was granted by the Department of Psychology Research Ethics Committee at the University of Exeter (Reference: 8485441). The study was prospectively registered on the OSF prior to data collection ( https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/5R3T8 ).
resultsHierarchical regression analysis revealed that participation in weight-sensitive sports and higher scores on the SSGS were significant positive predictors of EPS. Mediation analysis indicated no significant indirect effect of shame or guilt on the relationship between sport type and EPS.
conclusionThese findings suggest that involvement in weight-sensitive sports and high levels of shame and guilt are key risk factors for EPS in young adult athletes. Conversely, participation in non-weight-sensitive sports appears to serve as a protective factor. This study underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions and increased awareness of subclinical eating pathology in this population.
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