Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and eating disorders (ED) require a disregard for one’s body to engage in them. Previous literature has shown that a lack of self-compassion and body appreciation are associated with greater NSSI and ED symptoms, but could be mitigated through therapies like yoga, which emphasize the union between body and mind. Our study aimed to investigate if body appreciation and self-compassion act as mediators between participation in an integrative yoga therapy and changes in NSSI urges and ED behaviors. To date, 37 participants have completed the study (Mage = 31.23, SD = 12.2; 45.9% cisgender female, 46.8% white/European). Linear regression mediation analyses were conducted using the PROCESS macro (model 4) in SPSS. The full model was not significant for either outcome (ps = .34 - .42) and there were no observed indirect effects. Aligned with prior literature, self-compassion had a significant direct relationship with changes in NSSI urges (b = -0.31) and body appreciation had a direct effect on changes in ED symptoms (b = -0.56). The non-significant effects could be due to having a limited amount of preliminary data. Additional data is being collected. At the time of the conference, updated analyses and results will be presented.
