Clarifying the relationship between intuitive eating, mindful eating, and maladaptive eating: A factor analytic study

Diverse adaptive and maladaptive eating behaviours exist, yet research is needed to understand their inter-relationships. This study investigated the factor structure underlying a broad spectrum of eating attitudes and behaviours, and their associations with wellbeing outcomes and clinical impairment. Two samples of women (Mage = 24 years; n₁ = 400, n₂ = 423) completed a survey measuring intuitive eating, mindful eating, disinhibited eating, dietary restraint and restriction, and orthorexia tendencies. Exploratory factor analysis in Sample 1 suggested a five-factor structure, which was supported by confirmatory factor analysis in Sample 2. Results demonstrated one adaptive factor, characterised by Body-Centric Eating; three maladaptive factors, characterised by Dietary Restraint, Disinhibited Eating, and Severe Restriction; and Mechanical Eating, characterised by adherence to routine-based eating. Identifying how adaptive and maladaptive eating behaviours cluster empirically provides insight into the potential role of adaptive eating strategies in reducing maladaptive eating and enhancing wellbeing.