Disordered Eating and Attachment With God and Others : An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Research trends suggest that there is a correlation between insecure attachment with God and with others and disordered eating behaviors. Individuals who report insecure attachment with others and with God may be more likely to also report disordered eating behaviors. Researchers have also suggested that there is a connection between insecure attachment and binge eating, although the empirical evidence supporting this claim is limited. Via an online survey, Christian participants were invited to complete assessments measuring attachment with others, attachment with God, and eating behaviors. Anxious attachment with others was found to be a strong predictor variable for binge eating behaviors. Avoidant attachment with others and anxious attachment with God were strongly correlated with binge eating. No correlation was found between avoidant attachment with God and binge eating. When all of the variables were combined and analyzed through stepwise regression, there was no additional predictive value added to predict binge eating beyond what information was provided by anxious attachment with others. Exploratory analyses were performed to consider attachment and binge eating when controlling for gender and denominational affiliation. In addition, binge eating scores were also analyzed as a categorical variable to compare attachment scores between groups categorized by binge eating severity.