Coordinating Author Information: Kelsey Priebe, MA | Sam Houston State University
Session Abstract: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
Personality psychopathology plays a significant role in the development and maintenance of disordered eating behaviors (e.g., Rikani, 2013), including symptom level differences in eating disorders (Garner et al., 1983; Garner et al., 2004; Grilo et al., 2015; Holland et al., 2013). As the conceptualization of both disordered eating and personality psychopathology move towards dimensional methodologies (Clark, 2007; Krueger & Markon, 2013; Grilo et al., 2015), a more thorough investigation of how dimensional personality assessment methods capture aspects of disordered eating is needed. The current study examined the associations between trait-based personality traits and various measures of disordered eating.
METHODS:
Participants included 525 university students (Mage=21.09) who primarily identified as female (80.2%) and white (45.1%). Participants completed the Personality Inventory for DSM-5-Short Form (PID-5-SF), Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), and Loss of Control over Eating Scale (LOCES).
RESULTS:
Pearson correlations demonstrated associations between the five trait domains as well as the 25 trait facets and various disordered eating scales, including the EDI subscale scores (r’s=.21 [Psychoticism & Perfectionism/Distractibility & Personal Alienation] -- .68 [Negative Affectivity & Interoceptive Deficits]), LOCES total and subscale scores (r’s= .19 [Submissiveness & Cognitive aspects] -- .47 [Negative Affectivity & LOCES total]) and EDE-Q total and subscale scores (r’s= .17 [Attention Seeking & Restraint] -- .48 [Negative Affectivity & Eating and Shape Concern]).
CONCLUSIONS:
Pathological traits demonstrate strong associations with disordered eating symptomology. Specifically, Negative Affectivity, Disinhibition, and Psychoticism correlate substantially with feelings of loss of control over eating. Assessment of personality pathology may be beneficial in tandem with assessment of overt eating related problems.
Authors:
Kelsey Priebe, MA | Sam Houston State University
Kelci Davis, MA | Sam Houston State University
Larissa Fernandez, BA | Sam Houston State University
Ryan J. Marek, PhD | Sam Houston State University
Jaime L. Anderson, PhD | Sam Houston State University