Parental Rejection and Emotional Eating: The Mediating Role of Self-Ambivalence and the Moderating Role of Mindfulness

Emotional eating is often conceptualized as a maladaptive coping strategy for negative emotions. This study investigated the psychological variables associated with perceived parental rejection and emotional eating, specifically examining the potential mediating role of self-ambivalence and the moderating role of trait mindfulness. Utilizing a cross-sectional design, data were collected from 353 adults in Türkiye. The results revealed distinct patterns for maternal and paternal pathways. Perceived paternal rejection demonstrated a consistent, unmoderated association with self-ambivalence, which in turn was indirectly related to emotional eating, regardless of mindfulness levels. Conversely, the indirect relationship between perceived maternal rejection and emotional eating via self-ambivalence appeared to be conditionally moderated by mindfulness. Specifically, this indirect pathway was significant only at high levels of mindfulness, suggesting that unmodulated attention may correspond to heightened cognitive sensitivity to maternal rejection. In conclusion, the findings suggest that self-ambivalence may play a mediating role in the association between perceived parental rejection and emotional eating. Furthermore, the results indicate that trait mindfulness may not act as a universal buffer; rather, higher levels of mindfulness were associated with a stronger relationship between maternal rejection and self-ambivalence.