Examining associations among sensitivity to punishment and reward, shame, and eating pathology through tests of mediation.

This study investigated associations between sensitivity to punishment and reward, shame, and eating pathology by testing alternative mediation models in which shame mediated associations between temperament and eating pathology or eating pathology mediated associations between temperament and shame. Participants were 96 female undergraduate students who completed questionnaires. Results indicated shame fully mediated the relationship between sensitivity to punishment and eating pathology. Further, eating pathology did not mediate the association between sensitivity to punishment and shame. In contrast, for sensitivity to reward, shame fully mediated the relationship between sensitivity to reward and eating pathology, and eating pathology fully mediated the relationship between sensitivity to reward and shame. If associations are supported by longitudinal research, results suggest that it may be valuable to develop prevention approaches targeting shame to reduce risk for the development of eating pathology for those who are high in sensitivity to punishment. For those higher in sensitivity to reward, interventions targeting shame may reduce risk for eating pathology and those targeting eating pathology may reduce shame.