The Impact of Gastric State on Perceptual and Attitudinal Body Image Dimensions and Their Moderation by Eating Pathology
Abstract
Body image encompasses cognitive-affective attitudes and explicit and implicit body size perceptions. Although interoception is implicated in eating pathology, evidence directly linking gastrointestinal states to body image remains limited by caloric confounds, a dearth of research using perceptual measures, and narrow assessments of interoceptive facets. To address these gaps, this study (n=68) manipulated gastric state using the Water Load Test-II to evaluate how gastrointestinal sensitivity, over/underconfidence in sensitivity, and appraisal are related to baseline body image and disordered eating, and if gastric state can change body image and if this is moderated by disordered eating. At baseline, elevated hunger-fear and fullness-shame predicted heightened eating shame, dietary restriction/preoccupation, and reduced baseline body satisfaction, with fullness-shame uniquely predicting greater weight/shape concerns and restraint. Heightened gastrointestinal sensitivity predicted less certainty in judging an aperture as passable relative to body size, whereas underconfidence in gastrointestinal sensitivity predicted smaller waist size estimations and greater certainty in judging an aperture as passable. Controlling for baseline body image, fullness significantly decreased body satisfaction, increased the width required for an aperture to be judged as passable, and increased waist size estimations according to disordered eating severity. Eating disorder severity predicted lower certainty for aperture passability. During nutritional eating disorder recovery, where postprandial fullness is unavoidable, unaddressed negative appraisal, hypervigilance, and over/underconfidence in gastric sensitivity may directly trigger and perpetuate body image distortions and uncertainty. Eating to satiation, rather than complete fullness, may offer a behavioral goal for ongoing treatment once weight is stabilised.
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BibTeX
@misc{stafford2026impact,
title = {{The Impact of Gastric State on Perceptual and Attitudinal Body Image Dimensions and Their Moderation by Eating Pathology}},
author = {Lucy Stafford and Alexandra C Pike and Catherine Preston},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/bfnve_v1},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/bfnve_v1/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - The Impact of Gastric State on Perceptual and Attitudinal Body Image Dimensions and Their Moderation by Eating Pathology
AU - Lucy Stafford
AU - Alexandra C Pike
AU - Catherine Preston
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/11
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/bfnve_v1
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/bfnve_v1/
AB - Body image encompasses cognitive-affective attitudes and explicit and implicit body size perceptions. Although interoception is implicated in eating pathology, evidence directly linking gastrointestinal states to body image remains limited by caloric confounds, a dearth of research using perceptual measures, and narrow assessments of interoceptive facets. To address these gaps, this study (n=68) manipulated gastric state using the Water Load Test-II to evaluate how gastrointestinal sensitivity, over/underconfidence in sensitivity, and appraisal are related to baseline body image and disordered eating, and if gastric state can change body image and if this is moderated by disordered eating. At baseline, elevated hunger-fear and fullness-shame predicted heightened eating shame, dietary restriction/preoccupation, and reduced baseline body satisfaction, with fullness-shame uniquely predicting greater weight/shape concerns and restraint. Heightened gastrointestinal sensitivity predicted less certainty in judging an aperture as passable relative to body size, whereas underconfidence in gastrointestinal sensitivity predicted smaller waist size estimations and greater certainty in judging an aperture as passable. Controlling for baseline body image, fullness significantly decreased body satisfaction, increased the width required for an aperture to be judged as passable, and increased waist size estimations according to disordered eating severity. Eating disorder severity predicted lower certainty for aperture passability. During nutritional eating disorder recovery, where postprandial fullness is unavoidable, unaddressed negative appraisal, hypervigilance, and over/underconfidence in gastric sensitivity may directly trigger and perpetuate body image distortions and uncertainty. Eating to satiation, rather than complete fullness, may offer a behavioral goal for ongoing treatment once weight is stabilised.
ER -