Childhood Emotional Neglect Linked to Binge Eating Through Distress and Body Concerns

Women seeking help for eating difficulties who recall childhood emotional neglect report more severe binge-eating behaviors, and a new study suggests that general psychological distress and overconcern with body shape together carry that association almost entirely. The research, published as open access research in Eating and Weight Disorders – Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, examined a heterogeneous group of adult females attending a public clinical service for eating problems.

The study was retrospective and cross-sectional, meaning participants reported on past childhood experiences at a single point in time rather than being followed over years. Because of this design, the findings show patterns of association, not that emotional neglect causes binge eating. The authors also note that individuals presenting with eating-related difficulties frequently report histories of childhood maltreatment, but that the specific role of neglect, in particular, needed further clarification.

One hundred and eight women took part, with a mean age of 25.83 years and a standard deviation of 4.98. Each completed standardized questionnaires covering childhood emotional neglect, general psychological symptoms, binge-eating behavior severity, and body image concerns. In addition, a face-to-face diagnostic interview, the Eating Disorder Examination 17.0D, was administered to establish participants’ Feeding and Eating Disorders diagnoses, allowing the sample to span diverse clinical presentations rather than a single diagnosis.

Binge-eating behaviors were treated as a transdiagnostic feature, one that appears across various eating disorders rather than being confined to any one category. The researchers investigated whether reported childhood emotional neglect was indirectly associated with these behaviors through two psychological factors operating in sequence: general psychopathology first, followed by overconcern with body shape. Body mass index was controlled for in the analyses, addressing the possibility that weight status alone explained the observed links.

The serial mediation analyses pointed to full mediation. Emotional neglect was not directly associated with binge-eating behaviors once the two psychological mechanisms were accounted for; instead, its association ran indirectly through psychopathological symptoms and then through body concerns. In practical terms, the data suggest that the connection between recalled neglect and binge eating in this sample is carried by general distress and dissatisfaction with body shape rather than by the reported childhood experience on its own.

The authors frame these mechanisms as transdiagnostic targets, relevant across diagnostic groups rather than to a single eating disorder category. Their stated clinical implication is that clinicians should integrate trauma-informed screening with targeted interventions addressing general distress, body dissatisfaction, and binge-eating behaviors across diverse diagnostic and clinical presentations.

Several limitations deserve emphasis. The sample consisted of 108 help-seeking women from one public clinical service, so the results may not generalize to men, to community samples, or to individuals who never seek treatment. All measures of childhood emotional neglect were retrospective self-reports, which can be shaped by current mood and memory. And because every variable was measured at the same time, the serial mediation model describes a statistical pathway consistent with the authors’ hypothesis, not a demonstrated causal sequence unfolding over time.

Within those boundaries, the study adds specificity to a broader literature linking childhood maltreatment and dysfunctional eating patterns.

Subject of Research: Associations between reported childhood emotional neglect and binge-eating behaviors in adult women seeking help for eating difficulties, mediated by psychopathology and body concerns.

Article Title: Reported childhood emotional neglect and binge-eating behaviors in a heterogeneous help-seeking sample of adult females: the mediational role of psychopathology and body concerns

Article References: Cinquegrana, V., D’Amico, M., Donini, L. M., & Lombardo, C. (2026). Reported childhood emotional neglect and binge-eating behaviors in a heterogeneous help-seeking sample of adult females: the mediational role of psychopathology and body concerns. Eating and Weight Disorders – Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-026-01904-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s40519-026-01904-x

Keywords: childhood emotional neglect, binge eating, eating disorders, psychopathology, body image, mediation analysis, cross-sectional study, help-seeking women, trauma-informed care, body dissatisfaction, Reported, childhood