Orthorexia nervosa, an obsession with consuming what is perceived to be healthy food, is increasingly in the spotlight of mental health research. A recent study offers insights into the psychological landscape of those who may be at risk for developing this disorder, linking it to high levels of obsessive perfectionism and low self-esteem.
The research, involving an international collaboration and a sample size of 977 young adults, utilized a range of psychological assessments. These included the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ), Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R), Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire-44 (OBQ-44), the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES).
A particularly intriguing aspect of the findings is the identification of three distinct psychological profiles among the participants, referred to as High, Moderate, and Low Self-Mastery clusters. The Low Self-Mastery group, characterized by high levels of perfectionism and low self-esteem, was more prone to exhibit orthorexia nervosa tendencies than those in the other clusters.
The study’s findings suggest that those with high obsessive perfectionism and low self-esteem may be vulnerable to developing orthorexia nervosa, which is defined as “a pathological fixation on healthy food.” Furthermore, the research presents geographical variations in orthorexia nervosa tendencies, with participants from Lebanon displaying more pronounced symptoms than their counterparts in Poland and Italy.
The authors of the study emphasize the importance of evaluating self-esteem, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and perfectionism in individuals with tendencies towards orthorexia nervosa. They assert, “These factors seem closely associated with the development and severity of ON. Therefore, interventions aimed at building self-esteem and reducing obsessive–compulsive and perfectionism symptoms may benefit those in the Low Self-Mastery cluster.”
This association between perfectionism and orthorexia nervosa is corroborated by another pilot study that looked at the indirect role of eating attitudes, including orthorexia nervosa, in the association between perfectionism and muscle dysmorphic disorder among Lebanese male university students. The findings suggest that “susceptibility to Muscle Dysmorphia and Eating disorders depend on pre-existing perfectionistic attitudes, especially that of socially prescribed perfectionism”.
Relevant articles:
– Orthorexia nervosa is linked to low self-esteem and high levels of obsessive perfectionism. It is an eating disorder that may not be as widely recognized as anorexia or bulimia, and is characterized by an excessive preoccupation with eating food that one considers healthy.
– Women’s anxiety increases over threats to physical femininity, study finds, PsyPost, Sun, 03 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT
– The indirect role of orthorexia nervosa and eating attitudes in the association between perfectionism and muscle dysmorphic disorder in Lebanese male University students – results of a pilot study, BMC Psychiatry, Fri, 20 Jan 2023 08:00:00 GMT
– Latest News About Body Image and Body Dysmorphia, PsyPost, Sat, 17 Feb 2024 02:59:39 GMT