PhD Thesis Title: Eating Disorder Risk: The Role of Sensitivity to Negative Affect and Body- Image Inflexibility
This PhD thesis examined psycho-physiological reactivity (heart rate, skin conductance) and emotion regulation as mechanisms underlying eating disorder (ED) risk. Using cross-sectional screening and an experimental design, adolescents and young adults (14–24 years) were classified as high or low risk for EDs. Emotional responses to general and ED-specific film stimuli were assessed using self-report, physiological, and behavioral measures. Self-report measures targeting cognitive content (appearance schemata and self-worth beliefs) and functional processes (body- image inflexibility) were also examined in relation to physiological and behavioral outcomes.
Findings showed that high-risk individuals exhibited heightened physiological reactivity across both general and pathology-specific contexts, alongside reduced awareness of their physiological responses, indicating emotion regulation difficulties associated with ED risk. Moreover, elevated physiological arousal and greater body-image inflexibility emerged as the strongest factors increasing the likelihood of ED risk.
Koushiou, M., Nikolaou, P., & Karekla, M. (2020). Prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in greek cypriot adolescents and young adults. The European Journal of Counselling Psychology, 8(1), 3-18.
Koushiou, M., Merwin, R. M., Anderson, D., & Karekla, M. (2019). An investigation of the affective experience of females at high risk for eating disorders in general and pathology-specific contexts. Appetite, 141, 104306.
Koushiou, M., Nicolaou, K., & Karekla, M. (2018). Inducing negative affect using film clips with general and eating disorder-related content. Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 23(6), 775-784.
Last Updated on February 7, 2026
