A controlled study of personality traits in female adolescents with eating disorders. (14th May 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liley, Lois J.; Watson, Hunna J.; Seah, Elizabeth; Priddis, Lynn E.; Kane, Robert T.
• Is Part Of: Clinical psychologist. Volume 17:Number 3(2013)
• Page Start: 115
• Page End: 121
• Publication Date: 2013-05-14
• Subjects: Clinical psychology -- Periodicals; 616.89005
• DOI: 10.1111/cp.12012
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1328-4207

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Abstract</title> <sec id="cp12012-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Background</title> <p>Among adults, personality traits have been implicated in the development and maintenance of eating disorders (EDs); whether these findings extend to youth is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate personality traits of adolescents with EDs.</p> </sec> <sec id="cp12012-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>A case‐control approach was performed by comparing a clinical group of female adolescents with EDs (<italic>n</italic> = 23) to a control group of adolescents in the general community (<italic>n</italic> = 26) on personality traits of inhibited, self‐demeaning, and borderline tendency. Controls were frequency‐matched to cases on age and sex, were drawn from a similar geographic catchment area, and observed in the same year as clinical cases.</p> </sec> <sec id="cp12012-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>The clinical group demonstrated significantly higher scores on self‐demeaning (<italic>F</italic>(1, 47) = 41.39, <italic>p</italic> < .001, η<sup>2</sup> = .075), borderline (<italic>F</italic>(1, 47) = 24.50, <italic>p</italic> < .001, η<sup>2</sup> = .093), and inhibited (<italic>F</italic>(1, 47) = 13.33, <italic>p</italic> = .001, η<sup>2</sup> = .014) personality styles. Adjustment for affective symptomatology diminished the strength of these relationships, but personality pathology still demarcated the group with clinical EDs.</p> </sec> <sec id="cp12012-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>The well‐established link between personality pathology and EDs in adults generalised to adolescents.</p> </sec> </abstract>