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

<p>Objective: Eating disorders (ED) commonly emerge during adolescence, a period of heightened sensitivity to social evaluation. Fear of negative evaluation (FNE) may be a correlate of vulnerability to disordered eating. This study examined the FNE–ED association in adolescents and tested whether its strength differs by sex.Method: Adolescents aged 16–19 completed standardised self-report measures of eating disorder symptoms (EDDS) and fear of negative evaluation (BFNE) as part of a larger online survey; 143 participants (87 female, 56 male) had complete data on both measures and sex.Results: FNE was significantly associated with ED symptoms (standardised β = 0.55, 95% CI [0.41, 0.69], p &amp;lt; .001), accounting for approximately a third of the variance (R² = .32–.33). Females scored significantly higher than males on both FNE and ED symptoms (medium effect sizes). This association was not significantly moderated by sex (β = −.08, p = .255).Conclusions: FNE is significantly associated with ED psychopathology in adolescents, with no significant sex difference in this association. Given the cross-sectional design, causality cannot be established; prospective and experimental research is needed to test whether reducing FNE could lower ED risk.</p>