Associations of positive childhood experiences with disordered eating attitudes and behaviors among Korean college students

Positive childhood experiences (PCEs) are considered as early-life psychosocial resources which promote adaptive coping and reduce vulnerability to maladaptive health behaviors, including engagement in disordered eating attitudes and behaviors (DEABs). Although inverse associations between PCEs and DEABs have been documented among US college students, evidence from non-Western populations remains limited. This study examined associations between cumulative PCEs and multiple DEABs among 273 Korean college students (Mage = 22.7 ± 2.2; 71.4% female) in 2025. Independent variable PCEs included supportive relational and emotional experiences and were categorized into tertiles (T1 = lowest, T3 = highest). Dependent variable was DEABs, which includes overeating, binge eating, anxiety-associated symptoms of binge eating, unhealthy weight control behaviors, and body weight and shape concerns. Covariates included age, sex, academic classification, maximum parental educational attainment, and body mass index. Modified Poisson regression models estimated prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Compared with students in T3, those in T2 and T1 had higher prevalence of binge eating (PR = 1.32 and 1.20 for T2 and T1, respectively) and body weight and shape concerns (PR = 1.55 and 1.53), although CIs included the null value. No clear dose-response pattern emerged. The selective associations suggest that the relationship between PCEs and DEABs may vary across specific behavioral domains and sociocultural contexts, and should be interpreted cautiously. These findings provide preliminary evidence consistent with life-course perspectives between supportive childhood environments to later eating-related behaviors, although the mechanisms underlying these associations remain unclear. Longitudinal research is warranted to clarify life-course pathways from positive early environments to eating-related health behaviors across sociocultural contexts.