Mood disorders

International Affective Picture System

Communication

Moderation

Social psychology

Disordered eating

Cognition

Psychiatry

Body dysmorphic disorder

Developmental psychology

Anxiety

Eating disorders

Psychology

Arousal

Mood

Clinical psychology

Affect (linguistics)

International Journal of Eating Disorders

Objective Body checking (BC) and body image avoidance (BIA) have been proposed as etiological and maintaining mechanisms for eating disorder (ED) pathology. To date, no comprehensive review summarizes the relationships of BC and BIA with ED pathology, body image dissatisfaction, or mood/affect. Method Meta‐analyses examined the relationships of BC and BIA with ED pathology, body image dissatisfaction, and mood/affect. Gender, publication status, and presence or absence of ED diagnoses were examined as potential moderators. Results Results showed strong relationships between BC and ED pathology (ρ = 0.588) and BC and body image dissatisfaction (ρ = 0.631) and a moderate relationship between BC and mood/affect (ρ = 0.385). Similarly, results showed strong relationships between BIA and ED pathology (ρ = 0.553) and BIA and body image dissatisfaction (ρ = 0.543) and a moderate relationship between BIA and mood/affect (ρ = 0.392). Overall, limited evidence supported publication bias; however, publication bias may exist in the relationship between BIA and body image dissatisfaction in the literature. Subgroup moderator analyses suggested that gender moderates the strength of the relationships between BC and ED pathology, body image dissatisfaction, and mood/affect and between BIA and body image dissatisfaction. Discussion Results are consistent with cognitive‐behavioral models of ED pathology that suggest BC and BIA are behavioral expressions of overvaluation of weight and shape. Notably, more published research has investigated BC than BIA. Future studies, incorporating methods such as meta‐analytic structural equation modeling, should examine these variables to further test cognitive‐behavioral models of ED development and maintenance.

A meta‐analysis of the relationships between body checking, body image avoidance, body image dissatisfaction, mood, and disordered eating