Perfectionism and emotional eating among college students: a chained mediation model of body image state and exercise addiction

Objective From an integrated perspective combining sociocultural theory and self-determination theory, this study examined whether body image state and exercise addiction sequentially mediate the relationship between perfectionism and emotional eating. Methods A cross-sectional design was adopted. A total of 1,307 Chinese college students (aged 18–24 years, M = 20.00, SD = 1.18) were recruited using stratified sampling. Standardized scales were used to assess perfectionism, body image state, exercise addiction, and emotional eating. After controlling for demographic variables such as gender and grade, a bias-corrected bootstrap method was employed to test the chained mediation effects. Results Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive association between perfectionism and emotional eating. Mediation analysis indicated that perfectionism was associated with emotional eating through three indirect pathways (as indicated by bias-corrected bootstrap 95% confidence intervals that did not contain zero). (a) via body image state alone (β = 0.028, p < 0.001); (b) via exercise addiction alone (β = 0.022, p < 0.001); and (c) via the sequential path from body image state to exercise addiction (β = 0.011, p < 0.001). Conclusion The findings suggest that perfectionism is directly and positively associated with emotional eating among college students, and that this association operates through three indirect pathways, including a sequential pathway via body image state and exercise addiction. This pattern is consistent with a sequential psycho-behavioral chain, that is, “personality trait → body-related cognitive evaluation → behavioral pattern → emotional eating.” Given the cross-sectional design, future longitudinal research is needed to establish temporal precedence.