Background: Disordered eating frequently co-occurs in young people seeking treatment for mental health and substance use difficulties. High levels of psychological distress and a lack of emotional clarity (LEC) are two constructs that have received recent attention as important constructs underlying this harmful behaviour; however how they interact to precipitate and maintain disordered eating still remains unclear. This study sought to address this gap by examining whether psychological distress moderates the relationship between LEC and disordered eating in a sample of young people with complex emotional and behavioural difficulties. Methods: Participants were young people (N = 306, M = 20.8 years) accessing youth specific alcohol and other drugs and/or primary mental health services in Australia who completed an online questionnaire which examined their level of emotional clarity, degree of distress, and engagement in disordered eating behaviours. Results: Moderation analysis was employed to examine if psychological distress (i.e., anxiety and depression) significantly moderates the relationship between LEC and disordered eating. A small, significant interactive effect of high levels of depressive symptoms on the relationship between LEC and disordered eating was found. Whereas, anxious affect did not significantly interact with LEC to predict disordered eating. Conclusions: Young people who struggle to identify and articulate their emotions are more likely to engage in disordered eating in the presence of high distress relating to depressive symptomatology. Addressing LEC through increasing emotional literacy, while treating depressive symptomatology, are key intervention strategies that may assist young people with complex emotional and behavioural difficulties manage disordered eating.

中文翻译：

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患有复杂情绪和行为困难的年轻人的痛苦、情绪清晰和饮食紊乱

背景：在寻求心理健康和物质使用困难治疗的年轻人中，进食障碍经常同时发生。高度的心理困扰和缺乏情绪清晰度 (LEC) 是最近受到关注的两种结构，它们是这种有害行为背后的重要结构；然而，它们如何相互作用以促成和维持无序饮食仍不清楚。本研究试图通过检查心理困扰是否在具有复杂情绪和行为困难的年轻人样本中调节 LEC 与饮食紊乱之间的关系来解决这一差距。方法：参与者为年轻人（N = 306，M = 20。8 岁）在澳大利亚获得针对青少年的酒精和其他药物和/或初级心理健康服务，他们完成了一份在线问卷，该问卷调查了他们的情绪清晰度水平、痛苦程度和饮食失调行为的参与度。结果：采用适度分析来检查心理困扰（即焦虑和抑郁）是否显着减轻了 LEC 与饮食紊乱之间的关系。发现高水平的抑郁症状对 LEC 和饮食紊乱之间的关系有一个小的、显着的交互作用。然而，焦虑情绪与 LEC 没有显着的相互作用来预测饮食失调。结论：难以识别和表达自己的情绪的年轻人更有可能在与抑郁症状相关的高度痛苦的情况下进行饮食失调。通过提高情绪素养来解决 LEC，同时治疗抑郁症状，是关键的干预策略，可以帮助有复杂情绪和行为困难的年轻人控制饮食失调。