This study explored associations between disordered eating, barriers, and attitudes towards help-seeking. A total of 198 young women completed online questionnaires assessing eating pathology, attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help, and barriers to seeking help. Higher levels of self-reported eating pathology were associated with more positive attitudes toward seeking professional help and with greater perceptions of barriers to help-seeking. An inconsistent mediation model (with suppression effect) indicated young women with higher eating pathology perceived more barriers to seeking help, which were associated with less positive attitudes towards seeking help for psychological issues; however, when barriers were held constant, eating pathology was associated with more positive attitudes towards seeking help. Results from this study highlight the need to identify and reduce barriers that impede mental health service utilization among young women with disordered eating.
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