Background and Objective: Eating disorders are among the most challenging psychological disorders with negative physical and mental consequences, the prevalence of which is increasing in adolescents. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of borderline personality symptoms in the relationship between mentalizing capacity and eating disorders in Iranian adolescents.
Method: This was a correlational study with an emphasis on structural equation modeling. The statistical population included 320 adolescents (160 boys and 160 girls) aged 15 to 18 years in Shiraz, who were selected by cluster sampling. Data were collected using the Garner Eating Disorder Questionnaire (EDI), Reflective Functioning (RFQ), and the Children's Borderline Personality Traits Scale (C-BPFS) and analyzed with SPSS and AMOS software.
Findings: The results showed that mentalizing capacity has a negative and significant effect on eating disorders and borderline personality traits moderate this relationship as a mediating variable. The model fit indices indicated a favorable fit of the model. Also, borderline personality traits such as emotional instability and impulsivity significantly mediated the relationship between deficits in mentalizing and eating disorders (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The findings emphasize the importance of paying attention to mentalizing capacity and borderline personality traits in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders. It is recommended to design interventions based on mentalizing and emotion regulation in educational and clinical settings, especially for adolescents at risk. This study has taken an effective step towards developing comprehensive causal models in this area by explaining the effective psychological mechanisms in eating disorders.