Fear of Negative Evaluation as a Core Predictor of Eating Disorder Risk in Adolescents: A Sex-Based Analysis

<p>Background: Eating disorders (ED) commonly emerge during adolescence, a developmental period characterised by heightened sensitivity to social evaluation. Fear of negative evaluation (FNE), a core feature of social anxiety, may represent a key mechanism underlying vulnerability to disordered eating. This study examined FNE as a predictor of ED psychopathology in a non-clinical sample of adolescents and tested whether this relationship differs by sex.Methods: 192 adolescents aged 16–19 completed standardised self-report measures of eating disorder symptoms (Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale-5) and FNE (Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale- revised) as part of a larger online survey. Results: FNE emerged as a significant and robust predictor of ED symptoms (b = 0.40, 95% CI [0.30, 0.51], p &amp;lt; .001), accounting for approximately a third of the variance in ED symptom scores (R² = .32–.34). Females reported significantly higher FNE and ED symptoms than males (Mann-Whitney U tests, medium effect sizes), but the relationship between FNE and ED symptoms did not significantly differ by sex (FNE × Sex interaction, b = −.13, p = .228).Conclusions: Findings support FNE as a key predictor of ED psychopathology in adolescents. Elevated sensitivity to social judgement appears to increase vulnerability to disordered eating similarly across sexes, even though females carry a disproportionately higher burden of both FNE and ED symptoms. Targeting FNE in early intervention and prevention efforts, particularly among adolescent females, may offer a promising avenue for reducing ED risk.</p>