A psychological typology of females diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder

Abstract

<b>Background</b><br /> The present paper reports the results of research aimed at identifying intra-group differences among females suffering from different eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder) in terms of the subjects’ psychological traits, adoption of socio-cultural norms (through media pressure, internationalization of norms, and exposure to information concerning body image standards), and the level of body dissatisfaction. The following research question was asked: is it possible to distinguish specific profiles of psychological characteristics, as well as levels of body dissatisfaction, social pressure, media exposure and internalization of common standards of body image?<br /> <br /> <b>Participants and procedure</b><br /> The clinical population consisted of 121 females aged 20-26. The research was conducted in the years 2007-2012. The following research methods and procedures were applied: 1) a clinical interview, 2) the Contour Drawing Rating Scale, 3) the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), 4) a Polish translation of the Socio-cultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ-3).<br /> <br /> <b>Results</b><br /> Cluster analysis of the research data allowed four significantly different clusters to be distinguished in the group of 121 examined females suffering from eating disorders. In the next step, analysis of variance (the ANOVA test) was used to compare the differences between the examined clusters in terms of the investigated variables and their indicators.<br /> <br /> <b>Conclusions</b><br /> Due to significant differences between the examined females in terms of the strength levels and the configuration of psychological and socio-cultural variables investigated in the present study, the females were classified into four different psychological types referred to as neurotic, perfectionist, impulsive and adolescent-narcissistic.

Quality of life in obesity at perimenopausal age in obese women and women with proper body mass index

“…Its consequence can be type II diabetes, coronary heart disease, or stroke [6,16]. A decrease in the quality of life of obese patients in the psychological, social, and environmental sphere can be related to more frequent co-occurrence of obesity with depression-anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and personality disorders [18,19,20].…”

The Role of Motivation to Reduce Obesity among Elderly People: Response to Priming Temptation in Obese Individuals

“…Both the roles of biophysical factors (e.g., genetics or hormones) [ 11 , 12 , 13 ], and environmental factors [ 14 ] are frequently discussed. An increasing emphasis is put on the role of changes in human lifestyle associated with modern civilisation (e.g., food environment, walkability of environs) [ 15 ], as well as psychological factors such as specific personality profiles [ 16 , 17 , 18 ], depression [ 19 ], stress [ 20 ] and, most of all, habitual patterns of behaviour [ 21 , 22 ]. Behavioural patterns associated with eating begin formation in earliest childhood [ 23 ] and are very difficult to change during later stages of development [ 24 ].…”

Bulimia Nervosa and Body Dissatisfaction in Terms of Self-Perception of Body Image

“…Several studies have empirically investigated the role of social influence on body image and dissatisfaction [10]. Factors such as body-image dissatisfaction, the adoption of a perfectionistic attitude towards the body, the restrictive pursuit of thinness, and the development of bulimic tendencies are often indicated in scientific research as predictors of eating disorders [11][12][13][14][15]. However, most researchers focus on selected risk factors and indicate that the risk factors of eating disorders should not be considered separately.…”