Mediation of anger rumination on pathways from trait mindfulness to binge eating symptoms and general distress

Introduction: Anger rumination (AR) could be defned as a set of repetitive and negative thoughts about specifc situations and past feelings (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991). AR has been associated with dysregulated behaviors, such as binge eating (BE) (Wakeford et al., 2018) and an increase in stress and negative mood among individuals (Krys & Reininger, 2023). In this context, trait mindfulness (TM) could serve as a protective factor to reduce AR and its related negative consequences (Eisenlohr-Moul et al., 2016). Aim of the study: Our study aims to investigate the hypothesis that anger rumination can mediate the relationship between trait mindfulness, binge eating symptoms and general distress (GD). Materials and methods: 494 participants (58% girls) aged between 14 and 17 years old (M=15.81; SD=1.02) completed an online crosssectional survey, including the following measures: Children’s Anger Rumination Scale (CARS; Smith et al., 2016) to assess AR, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ; Baer et al., 2006) to evaluate TM, the Depression, Anxiety & Stress Self-report-21 (DASS-21, Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) to measure GD, and the Binge Eating Scale (BES; Gormally et al., 1982) to assess BE symptoms. Results: Structural equation modelling (SEM) with latent variables was used to test a model with TM as predictor, AR as a mediator, and BE and GD as outcome. The model showed good ft indices: χ2 (48)=135.82; p>0.001, CFI=0.97, RMSEA=0.06 (90% CI=0.05–0.07), SRMR=0.04. Signifcant paths were found from TM to AR (β=− 0.36), BE (β=− 0.27), and GD (β=− 0.34). Furthermore, signifcant paths were found from AR to BE (β=0.36), and GD (β=0.53). In addition, indirect efects were found from TM to BE by AR (β=− 0.13), and from TM to GD by AR (β=− 0.19). Discussion and conclusions: Mindful-based interventions, by promoting awareness and acceptance of emotions (Dimidjian & Segal, 2015), could help individuals respond to distress in healthier ways and could reduce the tendency to engage in maladaptive behaviors like AR and BE. Moreover, treatments focusing on reducing AR (Takebe & Sato, 2023) could break the cycle of negative thoughts, potentially nurturing more adaptive coping strategies and fostering a positive shift in psychological well-being.