The association between eating disorders and perfectionism in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: Dimensions of perfectionism are associated with the onset and maintenance of eating disorder pa-thology in both clinical and non-clinical samples. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between perfectionism and eating disorders in adults.Method: A literature search was conducted using the PsycINFO, Medline, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science and ProQuest databases. Ninety-five studies met the inclusion criteria and included a total sample of 32,840 par-ticipants (clinical eating disorder diagnosis N = 2414, non-clinical N = 30,428). Correlation coefficients (r) for the association between eating disorders and perfectionism were pooled. A meta-analysis to determine the as-sociation between two dimensions of perfectionism and eating disorder symptoms was conducted. Subgroup analyses were conducted with studies using clinical samples, and studies using the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire.Results: The pooled effect size for the association between perfectionistic concerns and eating disorder symptoms was r = 0.33 [0.30, 0.37]; and r = 0.20 [0.14, 0.25] for the association between perfectionistic strivings and eating disorder symptoms. In the clinical subgroup analyses the effect sizes were r = 0.40 [0.22, 0.58]; and r = 0.35 [0.26, 0.44] respectively. Medium to high heterogeneity was identified across all subgroup analyses and a significant level of publication bias was also identified.Discussion: The findings indicate both perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns have significant as-sociations with eating disorders, and further support the argument that both dimensions of perfectionism are important factors in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders.

Automated summary

This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the association between perfectionism and eating disorders in adults. The findings indicate that both dimensions of perfectionism, perfectionistic concerns and perfectionistic strivings, are significantly associated with eating disorders. This supports the importance of addressing perfectionism in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders.