شخصیت در مردان مبتلا به اختلالات تغذیه ای

Objective This study compares personality variables of men with eating disorders to women with eating disorders. Method Data were obtained from an international study of the genetics of eating disorders. Forty-two male participants were age-band matched at 1:2 ratio to females from the same study. Personality features were compared between males and females controlling for diagnostic subgroup. Results Males with eating disorders appear to be slightly less at risk for perfectionism, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and cooperativeness than females. Few differences were found when diagnostic subgroup was considered. Conclusion Observed differences in personality variables may help explain the difference in incidence and prevalence of eating disorders in men and women.

Eating disorders in males continue to be an area of interest, primarily because of the marked difference in prevalence of both anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) between the two genders [1] and [2]. Recent work upholds the existence of this gender imbalance, although to a lesser extent than previously believed [3]. In addition to examining prevalence, research in this area has focused on the clinical characteristics, psychometric profiles, and comorbidity patterns in men with eating disorders compared to women. In general, there are more similarities than differences across genders on these dimensions [4]. Little research has been done in the area of personality in men with eating disorders. Joiner et al. [5] compared 14 males to 97 females, showing that men chronically ill with BN had higher levels of perfectionism and interpersonal distrust than the female comparison group. Research into Axis II comorbidity has some relevance to this question, as the presence of personality disorders may reflect underlying dimensional personality characteristics. Striegel-Moore et al. [6] showed elevated rates of personality disorders, substance use, and mood disorders in males with ED in comparison to a sample of men without [7] ED. Fassino et al. [7] compared a small group of male anorectic patients to a control group of anorectic women and a sample of nonclinical men and women using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) [8] and showed that male anorectics had lower scores on harm avoidance, reward dependence, and cooperativeness and higher scores on novelty seeking compared to women with AN. As we advance our understanding of the genetic underpinnings of AN and BN, it becomes increasingly important to refine our phenotypic definitions. In a series of linkage analyses, we have optimized our linkage information by incorporating behavioral phenotypes into the genetic linkage analysis [9]. As the relative risk for AN appears to be highest in female relatives of males with AN [10], male eating disorders cases may be particularly valuable to genetic studies. The purpose of this study is to examine personality factors in a sample of males with ED derived from a large-scale study of the genetics of ED, and compare these factors to a matched sample of females with ED from the same study.