Most women with anorexia nervosa report less eating pathology on days when they are more self‐compassionate than usual

• Published in: The International journal of eating disorders 2020-01, Vol.53 (1), p.133-137
• Main Authors: Kelly, Allison C., Waring, Sydney V., Dupasquier, Jessica R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anorexia; Eating disorders; Pathology
• ISSN: 0276-3478; 1098-108X
• DOI: 10.1002/eat.23185

Objective Individuals with eating disorders who have lower trait levels of self‐compassion have more severe eating pathology. This study examined the extent to which levels of self‐compassion fluctuate day‐to‐day in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) and whether these fluctuations contribute to their eating pathology. Method For 2 weeks, 33 women with typical (75%) and atypical AN reported on their daily eating pathology and self‐compassion. Results Nearly half the variance in participants' self‐compassion scores occurred at the within‐persons daily level. Multilevel modeling revealed that on days when participants were more self‐compassionate than usual, their eating pathology was lower. However, this effect was moderated by participants' mean self‐compassion level over the 2 weeks. Specifically, daily self‐compassion was negatively related to eating pathology among individuals with average and higher mean self‐compassion levels but was not related to eating pathology among those with lower levels. Discussion One‐time self‐reports of self‐compassion in individuals with AN may overlook the substantial within‐person variability in their self‐compassion levels. For most individuals with AN, responding to distressing daily experiences with more compassion than usual should be associated with decreased eating pathology. More work is needed to understand how individuals lower in dispositional self‐compassion can benefit from these upward fluctuations.