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While previous literature suggests that emotion dysregulation is a salient factor contributing to the onset and maintenance of eating disorders (EDs), less is known about how maladaptive, cognitively oriented regulation strategies such as rumination and thought suppression may be uniquely related to ED symptoms in men and women. The present study sought to examine the independent associations of ruminative brooding and thought suppression with ED symptoms, after controlling for negative affect intensity, and assess whether these associations differ by gender. Participants were 263 undergraduates who completed a series of questionnaires, including measures of ED symptoms (Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale), ruminative brooding (Ruminative Response Scale), and thought suppression (White Bear Suppression Inventory). Generalized linear models examined main effects of ruminative brooding and thought suppression and their interactions with gender on ED symptoms, controlling for negative affect intensity. Higher ruminative brooding was associated with higher binge eating among women. Thought suppression was associated with higher vomiting and fasting frequency in both genders, with a stronger association between suppression and fasting in men compared to women. Together results demonstrate the unique contributions of cognitive perseveration and avoidance in ED symptomatology; specifically, ruminative brooding may be a salient factor contributing to binge eating in women, while high levels of thought suppression among males may contribute to fasting. Findings highlight the potential importance of examining and differentially targeting specific facets of cognitive emotion regulation in men and women engaging in ED behaviors.

Food craving is now widely considered to be a cognitively motivated state. Acceptance-based treatments are effective in reducing the adverse impact of food cravings on consumption, via a hypothesized decrease in experiential avoidance. The mechanisms that drive the success of acceptance-based management of craving remain to be empirically tested. This study examined the role of eating styles and thought suppression as mediators in the relationship between experiential avoidance and craving. Participants (n = 298, 51.5% female) completed the Food Craving Acceptance and Awareness Questionnaire (FAAQ), the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), the White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI; a measure of thought suppression), and the reduced version of the Food Craving Questionnaire- Trait (FCQ-T-r). Scores on the FAAQ were inversely associated with scores on the FCQ-T-r, DEBQ, and WBSI; FCQ-T-r scores were positively correlated with scores on the DEBQ and WBSI (all p < 0.001). The total indirect effect of acceptance on craving through the hypothesized mediators was significantly different from zero. Controlling for eating styles and thought suppression, acceptance remained a significant predictor of craving. Results thus provide initial evidence that eating styles and thought suppression mediate the relationship between food-specific experiential avoidance and food craving. Findings lay the foundation for future study of the proximal antecedents of food cravings and lend preliminary support for targeting thought suppression and eating styles in acceptance-based approaches to the management of craving.

This study examined the test–retest reliability of the Food Thought Suppression Inventory (FTSI) and its relationship with weight loss during weight loss treatment. Participants were 89 adults with and without binge eating disorder (BED) recruited through primary care for weight loss treatment who completed the FTSI twice prior to starting treatment. Intra-class correlations for the FTSI ranged from .74–.93. Participants with BED scored significantly higher on the FTSI than those without BED at baseline only. Percent weight loss from baseline to mid-treatment was significantly negatively correlated with the FTSI at baseline and at post-treatment. Participants reaching 5% loss of original body weight by post-treatment had significantly lower FTSI scores at post assessment when compared to those who did not reach this weight loss goal. While baseline binge-eating episodes were significantly positively correlated with baseline FTSI scores, change in binge-eating episodes during treatment were not significantly related to FTSI scores. The FTSI showed satisfactory one week test–retest reliability. Higher levels of food thought suppression may impair individuals' ability to lose weight while receiving weight loss treatment.

Experiential avoidance, the refusal to accept contact with unpleasant private experiences, is believed to play a role in the onset and maintenance of eating disorders. Preliminary evidence suggests that mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions that reduce avoidance may be effective in treating disordered eating behaviors. The purpose of the current investigation was to examine whether one form of experiential avoidance (thought suppression) and the theoretically opposing construct of dispositional mindfulness are associated with bulimic symptoms. Undergraduate men (n=219) and women (n=187) completed questionnaires assessing mindful attention and awareness, chronic thought suppression, and bulimic symptoms. A series of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that thought suppression and mindfulness accounted for unique variance in bulimic symptoms among men and women after accounting for BMI. Results are discussed in terms of the role of dispositional mindfulness and thought suppression in disordered eating.

Handling food cravings seems to play a major role in weight management. Many try to simply avoid cravings. However, avoidance based techniques like thought suppression can make attempts to deal with cravings more difficult. Recent research suggests that acceptance based techniques, such as defusion, may be a plausible alternative. The current study aimed to compare these two techniques. Participants were instructed in either a thought suppression or defusion technique at the beginning of a week-long period of attempted chocolate abstinence. A control group was given no instruction. It was predicted that the participants given the defusion intervention would eat less chocolate during six days and during a final taste test. It was found that participants in the defusion group ate significantly less chocolate during the taste test than other groups. However, no difference was found in the amount of chocolate eaten throughout the duration of the experiment. The results are discussed in terms of the possible utility of acceptance based techniques in promoting weight management.

Prior research on the relations among eating behaviors and thought suppression is limited to a measure of general thought suppression, the White Bear Suppression Inventory. To address this limitation, researchers recently validated the Food Thought Suppression Inventory (FTSI). Analyses using this measure suggest that food thought suppression is distinct from and is more predictive of eating disorder psychopathology than is general thought suppression. The FTSI, however, has not yet been validated in clinical samples. The purpose of the current study is to examine the factor structure and clinical correlates of the FTSI within treatment seeking obese women with binge eating disorder (BED; N = 128). Analyses revealed a valid and reliable one-factor measure of food thought suppression that was related to higher levels of eating and general psychopathology. The findings provide evidence for the use of the FTSI with obese women with BED. Future research should examine the psychometric properties of the FTSI within larger and more diverse samples.

Preliminary studies of non-clinical samples suggest that purposely attempting to avoid thoughts of food, referred to as food thought suppression, is related to a number of unwanted eating- and weight-related consequences, particularly in obese individuals. Despite possible implications for the treatment of obesity and eating disorders, little research has examined food thought suppression in obese individuals with binge eating disorder (BED). This study compared food thought suppression in 60 obese patients with BED to an age-, gender-, and body mass index (BMI)-matched group of 59 obese persons who do not binge eat (NBO). In addition, this study examined the associations between food thought suppression and eating disorder psychopathology within the BED and NBO groups and separately by gender. Participants with BED and women endorsed the highest levels of food thought suppression. Food thought suppression was significantly and positively associated with many features of ED psychopathology in NBO women and with eating concerns in men with BED. Among women with BED, higher levels of food thought suppression were associated with higher frequency of binge eating, whereas among men with BED, higher levels of food thought suppression were associated with lower frequency of binge eating. Our findings suggest gender differences in the potential significance of food thought suppression in obese groups with and without co-existing binge eating problems.

The current study sought to extend previous eating behaviors and thought suppression literature by assessing the relationship between food thought suppression and weight-related outcomes. Three hundred and twelve overweight/obese community men and women completed self-report measures of thought suppression, weight history, and eating behaviors. Women were more likely than men to endorse food thought suppression, as were individuals who currently were dieting, when compared with those nondieters. Food thought suppression also predicted binge eating, food cravings, and other eating disordered symptoms. Results have implications for obesity and support further exploration of third wave interventions, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness, in the treatment of obesity.