Exploring the relationship between peer attachment, and disordered eating behaviours and body dissatisfaction in adolescence: a systematic review
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Chan, Clarice
Donnelly, Cecily
Eshetu, Aphrodite
Nicholls, Dasha
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Objective: Adolescence is a critical period in the development of eating disorders (ED) and the influence of peers becomes increasingly evident in shaping behaviour. Insecure attachment to parents is associated with higher ED risk, but the impact of attachment to peers is unknown. This systematic review aims to ascertain the role of peer attachment in ED symptoms and body dissatisfaction in adolescents.
Methods: Electronic databases Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, and Scopus were searched using the search terms related to adolescents, eating disorders, peers, and attachment.
Results: Out of the 19 included studies (n=15 cross-sectional, n=4 Longitudinal), most (n=17) used the Peer subscale of the ‘Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA)’ to measure peer attachment. The prevalence of insecure attachment was higher in populations with ED symptoms compared to those without. Lower attachment scores were associated with higher ED symptomology and body dissatisfaction. Out of the 3 subscales of the IPPA, alienation emerged as the most significant predictor of symptomology.
Discussion: Insecure attachment to peers may be a risk factor in the development of ED symptoms and body dissatisfaction, but the protective role of secure attachment remains unclear. More longitudinal research is required to disentangle this relationship and ascertain the clinical significance of peer attachment in prognosis or intervention.
Methods: Electronic databases Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, and Scopus were searched using the search terms related to adolescents, eating disorders, peers, and attachment.
Results: Out of the 19 included studies (n=15 cross-sectional, n=4 Longitudinal), most (n=17) used the Peer subscale of the ‘Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA)’ to measure peer attachment. The prevalence of insecure attachment was higher in populations with ED symptoms compared to those without. Lower attachment scores were associated with higher ED symptomology and body dissatisfaction. Out of the 3 subscales of the IPPA, alienation emerged as the most significant predictor of symptomology.
Discussion: Insecure attachment to peers may be a risk factor in the development of ED symptoms and body dissatisfaction, but the protective role of secure attachment remains unclear. More longitudinal research is required to disentangle this relationship and ascertain the clinical significance of peer attachment in prognosis or intervention.
Editor(s)
Donnelly, Cecily
Date Issued
2025-07-08
Date Acceptance
2025-04-23
Citation
Journal of Eating Disorders, 2025, 13
ISSN
2050-2974
Publisher
BMC
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Eating Disorders
Volume
13
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2025. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1186/s40337-025-01273-3
Subjects
Eating disorders
Attachment
Peers
Adolescents
Body dissatisfaction
Disordered eating
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
130