Social Anxiety and Bulimic Behaviors: The Moderating Role of Perfectionism

Abstract

Despite the high rates of co-occurrence between social anxiety and bulimic behaviors, research investigating the mechanisms underlying these associations is lacking. Given that perfectionism is strongly related to both social anxiety and bulimic behaviors, we tested whether individuals with elevated social anxiety and higher perfectionism would evince greater bulimic behaviors in a non-referred sample. Participants with clinically significant social anxiety (n = 89) were compared to a matched control group (n = 89). We also examined specificity by investigating whether perfectionism moderated the relations between social anxiety and drive for thinness or body dissatisfaction. Participants in the high social anxiety group evinced higher bulimic behaviors, body dissatisfaction, and drive for thinness. Yet, perfectionism only moderated the relationship between social anxiety group and bulimic behaviors, such that individuals scoring high on both social anxiety and perfectionism demonstrated the greatest number of bulimic behaviors. Clinical implications are discussed.

Exploring the Relationship Between Social Anxiety and Bulimic Symptoms: Mediational Effects of Perfectionism Among Females

“…On the other hand, other findings have indicated that perfectionism related to PPS is not related to social anxiety, and may instead be highly related to healthy psychological functioning (Bieling et al 2003). In contrast, the current study did replicate the finding that social anxiety is positively related to bulimic symptoms (Swinbourne and Touyz 2007), and that bulimic symptoms are positively related to MEPC (Silgado et al 2010). …”

“…The present study is one of only two (i.e., see Silgado et al 2010) studies designed to parse apart the relationship between social anxiety, perfectionism, and bulimia. We found that MEPC fully mediated the relationship between fear of public scrutiny and bulimia symptoms, and partially mediated the relationship between social interaction anxiety and bulimia symptoms, above and beyond the indirect effects of MBIC and perfectionism specific to PPS.…”

“…In two prospective studies, researchers reported that perfectionism predicts later bulimic symptoms (Steele et al 2007; Vohs et al 1999). Together, the above findings suggest that SAD and perfectionism may both serve as risk factors for BN, and that social anxiety and perfectionism may interact to explain significant variance in bulimic symptoms (Silgado et al 2010). …”

“…Silgado et al (2010) examined the relationship between SAD and BN by testing if perfectionism may interact with social anxiety symptoms to produce varying levels of bulimic symptoms. They tested this hypothesis by comparing a non-treatment-seeking SAD sample to a matched normal control sample.…”

“… 3 One reviewer commented that an interactive relationship (similar to that which was reported by Silgado et al 2010) may provide a viable alternative framework by which to consider the relationship between SAD, perfectionism, and bulimia symptoms. Specifically, Silgado et al reported that perfectionism moderated the relationship between SAD and bulimia such that individuals high in both SAD and perfectionism reported the highest levels of bulimia symptoms.…”