What is it about?
Eating disorder symptoms and social anxiety often occur together in young adults, but the psychological processes connecting them are not fully understood. We surveyed 705 young adults aged 18–25 in Spain about eating-related concerns, social anxiety, perfectionism, and their tendency to avoid uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. The results showed that eating disorder and social anxiety symptoms were closely and reciprocally associated. Maladaptive perfectionism—particularly rigid personal standards and excessive concern about mistakes—was consistently related to greater risk in both areas. Experiential avoidance showed a more complex pattern: avoiding distressing thoughts and emotions may provide temporary relief, but it was also indirectly associated with greater difficulties. These findings suggest that eating problems and social anxiety may be better understood by considering the psychological processes they share, rather than treating them only as separate conditions.
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Why is it important?
Eating disorder and social anxiety symptoms frequently overlap, and their co-occurrence is associated with greater distress, poorer functioning, and more difficult recovery. This study is distinctive because it examines maladaptive perfectionism and experiential avoidance simultaneously within a single model, rather than considering each process separately. The combined model provided a better explanation of the relationship between the two symptom domains. The findings may help clinicians identify young adults at greater risk and develop more integrated assessments and interventions. In particular, addressing rigid standards, fear of mistakes, and avoidance of difficult internal experiences could complement existing treatments for people experiencing eating disorder and social anxiety symptoms together. Because the study was cross-sectional and involved a non-clinical sample, longitudinal and clinical research is still needed before causal or treatment conclusions can be drawn.
Perspectives
What I find most important about this study is that it moves the focus away from diagnostic labels alone and towards the psychological processes that different problems may share. A young person experiencing eating-related difficulties may also be struggling with fear of negative evaluation, rigid expectations, or attempts to avoid distressing emotions. Recognising these connections could lead to a more complete and compassionate understanding of their experience. I hope this work encourages further longitudinal and clinical research and contributes to assessment and support approaches that consider eating disorder and social anxiety symptoms together rather than in isolation.
Dr Rafael Triguero-Sánchez
Universidad de Sevilla
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Maladaptive perfectionism and experiential avoidance as transdiagnostic pathways between eating disorder and social anxiety symptoms in young adults, Journal of Eating Disorders, April 2026, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1186/s40337-026-01614-w.
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