Perfectionism Predicts Eating Disorder Risk

CHICAGO – Self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism in female college students who also have body dissatisfaction are important factors putting these women at risk for eating disorders, Christina A. Downey said at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

“Body dissatisfaction was the strongest predictor of eating disorders,” said Ms. Downey, a graduate student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

The study evaluated 310 women enrolled in a psychology class at a large university. Of the original sample, 307 turned in complete questionnaires.

The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 38 years, with a mean of 19 years. Of the 310 women, 189 (61%) were white, 36 (12%) were black, 9 (3%) were Hispanic, 53 (17%) were Asian American/Pacific Islander, 1 (0.3%) was in the category of Native American/Inuit/Alaska Native, 19 (6%) identified as being Other, and 3 (1%) gave no indication of racial/ethnic group. In the present sample, body mass index (BMI) ranged from 15.34 kg/m

The researchers used the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS) to measure perfectionism. They also used items deemed by a panel to be related to weight from the Body Areas Satisfaction (BAS) scale from the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire to measure body dissatisfaction.

In addition to these scales, the researchers used the Positive and Negative Affect Scale to measure negative affect. To measure for eating disturbances, they used the bulimia scale of the Eating Disorders Inventory and the dieting scale of the Eating Attitudes Test.

The results, as measured by the EAT-Dieting and EDI-Bulimia scales, respectively, showed that both self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were associated with greater dieting and bulimic symptoms. However, the association between MPS-Social and EDI-Bulimia scores was found to be greater than the association between MPS-Self and EDI-Bulimia scores (rs = .32 versus .20, respectively, z = 2.26, p = .01), indicating that socially prescribed perfectionism is more strongly involved in bulimic symptoms than is self-oriented perfectionism.

Moreover, the association between MPS-Social and EDI-Bulimia scores was found to be greater than the association between MPS-Social and EAT-Dieting scores.

The researchers also found that both self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were found to be associated with greater negative affect and greater body dissatisfaction. They determined, however, that the association between MPS-Social and BAS-Weight scores was greater than the association between MPS-Self and BAS-Weight scores.

They also found that negative affect was associated with both more dieting and more bulimic symptoms.

Ms. Downey concluded that the interactions between perfectionism and body dissatisfaction were extremely important, and that the presence or lack of body dissatisfaction could be a clue to the presence of eating disorders in college-aged women. “We found no relationship between perfectionism and eating disorders in the highly bodily satisfied group,” she added.

On the other hand, clinicians should be aware of how powerfully perfectionism and body dissatisfaction can interact together in young women. “The interaction between socially prescribed perfectionism and eating disturbance was clinically important, as it points to a particularly dangerous combination of personality traits and cognition in predicting serious symptoms of an eating disorder,” Ms. Downey said in an interview.

CHICAGO – Self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism in female college students who also have body dissatisfaction are important factors putting these women at risk for eating disorders, Christina A. Downey said at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

“Body dissatisfaction was the strongest predictor of eating disorders,” said Ms. Downey, a graduate student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

The study evaluated 310 women enrolled in a psychology class at a large university. Of the original sample, 307 turned in complete questionnaires.

The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 38 years, with a mean of 19 years. Of the 310 women, 189 (61%) were white, 36 (12%) were black, 9 (3%) were Hispanic, 53 (17%) were Asian American/Pacific Islander, 1 (0.3%) was in the category of Native American/Inuit/Alaska Native, 19 (6%) identified as being Other, and 3 (1%) gave no indication of racial/ethnic group. In the present sample, body mass index (BMI) ranged from 15.34 kg/m

The researchers used the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS) to measure perfectionism. They also used items deemed by a panel to be related to weight from the Body Areas Satisfaction (BAS) scale from the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire to measure body dissatisfaction.

In addition to these scales, the researchers used the Positive and Negative Affect Scale to measure negative affect. To measure for eating disturbances, they used the bulimia scale of the Eating Disorders Inventory and the dieting scale of the Eating Attitudes Test.

The results, as measured by the EAT-Dieting and EDI-Bulimia scales, respectively, showed that both self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were associated with greater dieting and bulimic symptoms. However, the association between MPS-Social and EDI-Bulimia scores was found to be greater than the association between MPS-Self and EDI-Bulimia scores (rs = .32 versus .20, respectively, z = 2.26, p = .01), indicating that socially prescribed perfectionism is more strongly involved in bulimic symptoms than is self-oriented perfectionism.

Moreover, the association between MPS-Social and EDI-Bulimia scores was found to be greater than the association between MPS-Social and EAT-Dieting scores.

The researchers also found that both self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were found to be associated with greater negative affect and greater body dissatisfaction. They determined, however, that the association between MPS-Social and BAS-Weight scores was greater than the association between MPS-Self and BAS-Weight scores.

They also found that negative affect was associated with both more dieting and more bulimic symptoms.

Ms. Downey concluded that the interactions between perfectionism and body dissatisfaction were extremely important, and that the presence or lack of body dissatisfaction could be a clue to the presence of eating disorders in college-aged women. “We found no relationship between perfectionism and eating disorders in the highly bodily satisfied group,” she added.

On the other hand, clinicians should be aware of how powerfully perfectionism and body dissatisfaction can interact together in young women. “The interaction between socially prescribed perfectionism and eating disturbance was clinically important, as it points to a particularly dangerous combination of personality traits and cognition in predicting serious symptoms of an eating disorder,” Ms. Downey said in an interview.

CHICAGO – Self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism in female college students who also have body dissatisfaction are important factors putting these women at risk for eating disorders, Christina A. Downey said at the annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

“Body dissatisfaction was the strongest predictor of eating disorders,” said Ms. Downey, a graduate student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

The study evaluated 310 women enrolled in a psychology class at a large university. Of the original sample, 307 turned in complete questionnaires.

The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 38 years, with a mean of 19 years. Of the 310 women, 189 (61%) were white, 36 (12%) were black, 9 (3%) were Hispanic, 53 (17%) were Asian American/Pacific Islander, 1 (0.3%) was in the category of Native American/Inuit/Alaska Native, 19 (6%) identified as being Other, and 3 (1%) gave no indication of racial/ethnic group. In the present sample, body mass index (BMI) ranged from 15.34 kg/m

The researchers used the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS) to measure perfectionism. They also used items deemed by a panel to be related to weight from the Body Areas Satisfaction (BAS) scale from the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire to measure body dissatisfaction.

In addition to these scales, the researchers used the Positive and Negative Affect Scale to measure negative affect. To measure for eating disturbances, they used the bulimia scale of the Eating Disorders Inventory and the dieting scale of the Eating Attitudes Test.

The results, as measured by the EAT-Dieting and EDI-Bulimia scales, respectively, showed that both self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were associated with greater dieting and bulimic symptoms. However, the association between MPS-Social and EDI-Bulimia scores was found to be greater than the association between MPS-Self and EDI-Bulimia scores (rs = .32 versus .20, respectively, z = 2.26, p = .01), indicating that socially prescribed perfectionism is more strongly involved in bulimic symptoms than is self-oriented perfectionism.

Moreover, the association between MPS-Social and EDI-Bulimia scores was found to be greater than the association between MPS-Social and EAT-Dieting scores.

The researchers also found that both self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism were found to be associated with greater negative affect and greater body dissatisfaction. They determined, however, that the association between MPS-Social and BAS-Weight scores was greater than the association between MPS-Self and BAS-Weight scores.

They also found that negative affect was associated with both more dieting and more bulimic symptoms.

Ms. Downey concluded that the interactions between perfectionism and body dissatisfaction were extremely important, and that the presence or lack of body dissatisfaction could be a clue to the presence of eating disorders in college-aged women. “We found no relationship between perfectionism and eating disorders in the highly bodily satisfied group,” she added.

On the other hand, clinicians should be aware of how powerfully perfectionism and body dissatisfaction can interact together in young women. “The interaction between socially prescribed perfectionism and eating disturbance was clinically important, as it points to a particularly dangerous combination of personality traits and cognition in predicting serious symptoms of an eating disorder,” Ms. Downey said in an interview.