Abstract
Purpose: Picky eating (PE) can occur in adulthood and is associated with mental health concerns. PE is often conceptualized as distinct from disordered eating, but recent research maps positive relationships between these maladaptive eating phenotypes. Relatedly, recent research suggests PE is more strongly related to eating concerns, a facet of disordered eating, via inflexible eating and mental health concerns, but precisely what PE facets explain these relations remain unknown.Methods: A large, undergraduate sample (N=509) completed an online survey assessing PE facets (Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire; meal presentation, food variety, meal disengagement, and taste aversion), disordered eating (Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire), specifically eating concerns, mental health concerns (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 Items), and inflexible eating (Inflexible Eating Questionnaire).Results: Positive relationships emerged between PE facets, eating concerns, inflexible eating, and mental health concerns. Meal disengagement was more strongly associated with eating concerns when inflexible eating was higher, whereas food variety and meal presentation were more strongly associated with eating concerns when mental health concerns was higher. Inflexible eating and mental health concerns did not significantly interact with taste aversion to explain variance in eating concerns.Conclusions: Considering PE multidimensionally may yield important insights beyond the broader construct. Mental health concerns and inflexible eating may be treatment and research targets in addressing the overlap between PE facets such as meal presentation, meal disengagement, and food variety and eating concerns. Level of Evidence: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.
Mental health concerns of undergraduate and graduate students: Depression, anxiety, eating concerns, and substance misuse
