Dissociative experiences of compartmentalization are associated with food addiction symptoms: results from a cross‐sectional report

PURPOSE: Studies have shown significant associations of dissociative symptoms with both eating and addictive disorders; however, the different forms of dissociation have been relatively understudied in relation to food addiction (FA). The main aim of this study was to investigate the association of certain forms of dissociative experiences (i.e., absorption, detachment and compartmentalization) with FA symptoms in a nonclinical sample. METHODS: Participants (N = 755; 543 women; age range: 18–65; mean age: 28.22 ± 9.99 years) were evaluated using self‐report measures of FA, dissociation, eating disturbances, and general psychopathology. RESULTS: Compartmentalization experiences (defined as pathological over-segregation of higher mental functions) were independently associated with FA symptoms (β = 0.174; p = 0.013; CI = [0.008; 0.064]) even when confounding factors were controlled for. CONCLUSION: This finding suggests that compartmentalization symptoms can have a role in the conceptualization of FA, with such two phenomena possibly sharing common pathogenic processes. Level of evidence: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40519-023-01555-2.