The role of shame and self-compassion in the relationship between childhood social/relational bullying and disordered eating

Abstract

Objective: Social and relational bullying (SRB) have been found to be associated with disordered eating, perhaps due to the heightened shame resulting from perceived social inferiority, low social rank, and/or negative evaluations from others. Self-compassion, a potential antidote to heightened shame, may act as a protective factor against the impact of SRB on disordered eating and shame. The current study aimed to address literature gaps by examining h ow SRB is related to disordered eating in emerging adulthood, whether this relationship is mediated by heightened shame, and whether self-compassion moderates the relationship between SRB and shame/disordered eating. Method: Participants (359 emerging adult undergraduate students aged 17-25) completed online self-report measures of recalled bullying and current disordered eating, shame, and self-compassion. Correlation coefficients between variables were generated and an advanced mediation model was used to determine whether self-compassion moderated the direct and indirect relationships between SRB and disordered eating, as mediated by shame. Results: SRB victimization was positively related to shame and disordered eating and negatively related to self-compassion in young adulthood with small-to-medium effect sizes. The association between SRB and disordered eating in adulthood was partially mediated by shame. Self-compassion did not moderate the relationship between SRB and disordered eating but it did moderate the path from SRB to shame. Conclusions: Childhood SRB is a significant predictor of disordered eating in emerging adulthood, partially through increased shame. Self-compassion m ay act as a buffer of the relationship between SRB and shame. Implications for clinical settings a nd anti-bullying awareness and prevention programs are discussed.