Growing research show that body image-related shame plays a particularly important role in the vulnerability to and persistence of Binge eating symptoms. Also, shame experiences from childhood and adolescence were found to function as traumatic memories and are significantly associated with eating psychopathology. Nonetheless, little is known about the effect of shame traumatic memories in Binge Eating Disorder (BED), and whether early positive emotional memories of warmth and safeness may buffer against the impact of shame memories on body image shame.

This study examined the moderator effect of positive emotional memories on the association between shame traumatic memories and current body image shame in women diagnosed with BED.

Participants (N = 109) were assessed through the eating disorder examination and the shame experiences interview, and answered to self-report measures assessing the traumatic features of a key shame memory, positive emotional memories s and body image shame.

Body image-related experiences were most frequently recalled as significant shame memories. Positive emotional memories were negatively associated with shame traumatic memories and body image shame, and had a significant moderator effect on the association between shame traumatic memories and current body image shame.

This study was the first to demonstrate that early shame experiences may contribute for BED patients’ shame based on their body image. Data suggest that the access to memories of early feelings of affiliation and safeness may be key to tone down negative affect. These findings have important implications for the conceptualization and treatment of BED.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.