mediating role of self-esteem and self-efficacy in the relationship of perfectionism and negative reactivity with eating disorders

Background: eating disorders (eds) are prevalent in adolescents and young adults, leading to various psychiatric and physical complications that affect the quality of life and even mortality. objectives: the present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of self-efficacy and self-esteem in the relationship of perfectionism and negative reactivity with eds. methods: this descriptive study was performed on 302 students selected from the university of tehran during 2018 - 2019. the data collection tools were the ed examination-questionnaire short form, self-esteem scale, weight efficacy lifestyle questionnaire‑short form, ed inventory-perfectionism scale, and perth emotional reactivity scale. pearson’s correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data. results: the results showed that eds had significant positive correlations with perfectionism (r = 0.4, p = 0.01) and general negative reactivity (r = 0.53, p = 0.01). on the other hand, these disorders had a significant negative correlation with self-esteem (r = -0.48, p = 0.01) and self-efficacy (r = 0.53, p=0.01). self-esteem had a negative significant relationship with perfectionism (r = -0.12, p = 0.05) and negative reactivity (r = -0.68, p = 0.01). moreover, self-efficacy had a negative significant relationship with perfectionism (r = -0.28, p = 0.01) and negative reactivity (r = -0.5, p = 0.01). the findings of path analysis showed that self-esteem and self-efficacy played mediating roles in the relationship of negative reactivity and perfectionism with eds. negative reactivity directly affected eating pathology (t = 1.27, ß = 0.13) but is not significant. conclusions: our findings showed that self-esteem and self-efficacy are protective factors against the negative effects of perfectionism and negative reactivity. therefore, self-esteem and self-efficacy can be considered as parts of prevention and treatment programs for eds.