Personality clusters and family relationships in women with disordered eating symptoms

Personality clusters in women with eating disorders predict important clinical variables (e.g., social functioning) better than eating disorder diagnoses. However, it is unknown whether these findings generalize to samples with subclinical pathology. Further, little is known about associations between personality clusters and family relationships. This study sought to address these limitations by replicating personality clusters in a college sample of women with disordered eating symptoms Based on reported symptoms, women were divided into a restricting, binging and purging, or control (i.e., symptom free) group. Participants completed measures of personality, social functioning, and family relationships. Cluster analyses suggested three personality groups (i.e., Adaptive, Rigid, Dysregulated) which corresponded to those identified previously in clinical samples. Personality clusters, and not disordered eating groups, significantly predicted social functioning, and these clusters were differentially associated with family conflict type. Meaningful personality clusters are present in subclinical populations and have clinical utility in predicting social functioning and family relationships.