title: Temperament and character in obese women with and without binge eating disorder.
abstract: Obesity is a serious disorder and its treatment involves dietitians, psychologists, and psychiatrists, often with a poor outcome. The role of psychiatric issues in obesity is equivocal, and so is the fact whether emotional and behavioral disturbances are causes or consequences of an individual's overweight condition. We performed a study that included 120 obese women (59 with binge eating disorder [BED] and 61 with non-BED) according to specific selection criteria, and compared to 80 healthy controls. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated for all patients and they were assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Despite the fact that obese patients with BED and without BED display a similar personality profile, those with BED show lower scores in Self-Directedness (SD). Both groups of obese patients differ from nonobese controls in Novelty Seeking (NS), Harm Avoidance (HA), Cooperativeness (C), and SD. SD seems to be the strongest predictor for the development of BED. The idea that two distinct groups of obese patients exist is supported. Moreover, as regards personality, a lower SD and a higher risk of Personality Disorders were found in obese BED patients. Different severities of overweight do not seem to relate to a specific personality susceptibility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Psychiatry Section, Service for Eating Disorders, Turin University, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Secondo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fassino
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Leombruni
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pierò
authors.forename: Giovanni Abbate
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Daga
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amianto
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rovera
authors.forename: Giovanni Giacomo
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Rovera
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002032:Bulimia / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D010551:Personality; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales