Temperament, character, and eating attitudes in Japanese college women

The present study investigated associations between dimensions of personality characteristics and eating attitudes in Japanese college women. 91 college women with a mean age of 20.7 yr. (SD=2.3 yr.), attending a School of Nursing or a School for Kindergarten Teachers, voluntarily responded to the Japanese version of the Temperament and Character Inventory and the Eating Attitudes Test. A significant positive correlation was found between the scores on the Temperament and Character Inventory subscale of Harm Avoidance and the Eating Attitudes Test total scores (Spearman p = .24, p = .02) and the scores on the Eating Attitudes Test subscale of Food Preoccupation (Spearman p = .33, p =.002). The scores on the Temperament and Character Inventory subscale of Self-directedness showed significant negative correlations with the Eating Attitudes Test total scores (Spearman p = -.35, p = .001) and the scores on the Eating Attitudes Test subscales of Dieting (Spearman p = -.29, p = .005) and Food Preoccupation (Spearman p = -.43, p = .0001). The present results suggest that Japanese college women who score high on Harm Avoidance and low on Self-directedness may be more likely to develop inappropriate eating attitudes.