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Personality in men with eating disorders
D Blake Woodside1, Cynthia M Bulik, Laura Thornton
1Program for Eating Disorders, University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. b.woodside@utoronto.ca
Journal of Psychosomatic Research
|October 28, 2004
Summary
Men with eating disorders show fewer personality differences, such as perfectionism and harm avoidance, compared to women. These findings may explain variations in eating disorder prevalence between sexes.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychology
- Genetics
Background:
- Eating disorders affect men and women differently in terms of incidence and prevalence.
- Understanding the underlying factors contributing to these differences is crucial for effective treatment and prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare personality variables between men and women diagnosed with eating disorders.
- To identify potential personality traits that may influence the observed sex differences in eating disorder prevalence.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from an international eating disorder genetics study.
- Age-band matched 42 male participants with 84 female participants (1:2 ratio).
- Compared personality features between sexes, controlling for diagnostic subgroup.
Main Results:
- Males with eating disorders exhibited lower levels of perfectionism, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and cooperativeness compared to females.
- Minimal sex differences in personality were observed when controlling for specific diagnostic subgroups.
Conclusions:
- Personality variations between men and women with eating disorders may contribute to the differing rates of these conditions.
- Further research into sex-specific personality profiles can inform targeted interventions for eating disorders.