Stress is associated with the maintenance of eating disorders and exercise behaviors. However, it is unclear how stress is associated with exercise and vice‐versa among individuals with higher levels of eating disorder symptoms in daily life. The current study tested the moderating effect of eating disorder symptoms on the relationships between (1) daily stress and later exercise behavior and (2) daily exercise behavior and later stress.
Female college students [
Drive for thinness, bulimic symptoms, and body dissatisfaction significantly moderated the relationship between daily stress and later exercise (
Stress is associated with exercise differentially depending on individuals’ eating disorder symptoms. Our findings suggest that only individuals with lower levels of eating disorder symptoms exercise when stressed.