Personality and psychopathological traits of males with an eating disorder

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether or not there are gender differences in personality, clinical features and associated traits in people with an eating disorder (ED). Method: The participants consisted of 40 ED patients (20 males and 20 females) consecutively admitted to our hospital. The two groups were matched in terms of age, diagnosis and duration of illness. All patients; fulfilled DSM-IV-R criteria for those pathologies. Assessment: Assessment measures included the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2), the Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R) and the Temperament and Character Inventory-R (TCI-R), as well as a number of other clinical and psychopathological indices. Results: In terms of personality traits, the males demonstrated less harm avoidance (p < 0.025) compared to females. Males showed significantly lower scores on drive for thinness (p < 0.007), impulse regulation (p < 0.043) and body dissatisfaction (p < 0.01). There were no gender differences on other symptomatological and psychopathological measures. The male group gave a history of premorbid overweight or obesity more frequently (45% vs 15%, p < 0.038). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that there were few gender differences in personality and psychological traits. However, higher premorbid obesity and overweight are more common antecedent factors in males. Copyright (C) 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.