Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padova, Italy.
BMC Psychiatry. 2022 Apr 22;22(1):290. doi: 10.1186/s12888-022-03896-1.
Pursuing a healthy diet is not a dysfunctional behavior, but dieting could be an important etiological factor for Orthorexia Nervosa (ON). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of diet in groups with high/low orthorexic tendencies. Moreover, some psychopathological characteristics associated with ON and maladaptive personality traits were investigated.
The sample consisted of three groups: two were on a diet and had high (HIGH-D; n = 52) or low (LOW-D; n = 41) orthorexic tendencies. The other was composed of people with high orthorexic tendencies not on a diet (HIGH; n = 40). Participants filled out self-report questionnaires to investigate orthorexic tendencies, eating disorders features, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, perfectionism, depressive/anxious symptomatology, and maladaptive personality traits.
The HIGH-D group showed more orthorexic tendencies than the HIGH group. More maladaptive personality traits and anxiety symptoms have been highlighted in HIGH and HIGH-D groups. The HIGH group had more eating disorder characteristics than other groups. Only the HIGH-D group showed more depressive symptoms than the LOW-D group.
The features of HIGH and LOW-D groups suggest that diet alone could not explain ON, even if it could be a possible factor related to ON. Therefore, people with high orthorexic tendencies, psychopathological features, and maladaptive personality traits could be in a prodromic condition for disordered eating habits and deserve clinical attention.
追求健康饮食并不是一种功能失调的行为，但节食可能是厌食症的一个重要病因。本研究旨在调查具有高/低厌食症倾向的群体中饮食的作用。此外，还研究了与厌食症相关的一些心理病理特征和适应不良的人格特征。
样本由三组组成：两组节食且有高（HIGH-D；n = 52）或低（LOW-D；n = 41）的厌食症倾向。另一组由没有节食但具有高厌食症倾向的人组成（HIGH；n = 40）。参与者填写了自我报告问卷，以调查厌食症倾向、饮食障碍特征、强迫症状、完美主义、抑郁/焦虑症状和适应不良的人格特征。
HIGH-D 组比 HIGH 组表现出更多的厌食症倾向。HIGH 和 HIGH-D 组表现出更多的适应不良人格特征和焦虑症状。HIGH 组比其他组有更多的饮食障碍特征。只有 HIGH-D 组比 LOW-D 组表现出更多的抑郁症状。
HIGH 和 LOW-D 组的特征表明，仅饮食本身并不能解释厌食症，即使它可能是与厌食症相关的一个可能因素。因此，具有高厌食症倾向、心理病理特征和适应不良人格特征的人可能处于饮食失调的前驱状态，值得临床关注。
